JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Josh Emmett has never been to Jacksonville, but he’s going to get a good look at it next week.
The fifth-ranked featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship headlines the Fight Night card as the promotion returns to Jacksonville at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on June 24. It’s the fourth straight year that the promotion has been in town, but the first time that Emmett has been here.
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Emmett said he knows about the Jaguars, and that’s about it as far as his familiarity with the area. A self-professed good food and great wine junkie, Emmett said that he can’t wait to take in some of the area cuisine and have a great pour. It’s something he looks forward to when visiting different areas. Call it dessert after the grind of camp.
“First and foremost I want to go out there and get my my hand raised on June 24. And then my wife and I and friends are the biggest foodies,” Emmett said. “So, if there’s any sites that I need to check out in Jacksonville or the beaches and definitely the food and craft cocktails and some good wine, I’ll need some recommendations.”
But before Emmett can sample some of the top food and wine venues in north Florida, he’s got a major task in front of him.
Emmett is slated to face unbeaten prospect Ilia Topuria in what should be a fast and explosive bout that could bump him up the featherweight standings. For Topuria (13-0), it’s just his sixth bout in UFC and a significant step up in competition. He’s the ninth-ranked featherweight in the world.
Emmett has fought seven times since 2019 and won six of those. He fought Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event for the interim lightweight title at UFC 284 last February, a brawl that he lost by triangle choke in the second round.
That win vaulted Rodriguez to a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski next month at UFC 290. Emmett was oh-so-close to getting a shot at Alexander “The Great” and knows a win over unbeaten Topuria would keep him in the queue for a crack at a title shot in the featherweight division.
“First and foremost, I just have to go out there, get my hand raised and then I’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But I do feel like I’ll be right back in the same position I was just in,” said Emmett, who is 10-3 in the UFC.
“You never know, my next fight can be possibly for a title eliminator or you never know what the state of the division and where people are at with injuries. And opportunities pop up here and there. You just always have to be ready. But I have to go and beat Ilia first. Otherwise, none of that matters.”
Getting past Topuria is a major challenge, but not on the level of a Rodriguez.
“I fought a lot of guys that are similar to him. Same body style, well-rounded fighters just like he is. I was also young and undefeated before I got in the UFC, and when I was in the UFC for a little while … I feel like I know how he feels, like how he’s thinking and carries himself. So, I’ll take the experience all day and he’s never fought anyone like me.”
The 14-fight card begins at 3 p.m. While Emmett is the headliner and unfamiliar with Florida outside of a trip to Orlando, one fighter with local ties is also on the card. Former Jaguars player Austen Lane was offered a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series and will make his UFC heavyweight debut against Justin Tafa.
Jacksonville has become an attractive option for the biggest combat sports promotion in the world since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Mayor Lenny Curry worked to reopen the state during a turbulent 2020.
Dana White’s UFC picked Jacksonville as the spot for UFC 249, the first major sporting event to resurface after the coronavirus pandemic shut down the country for nearly two months.
Justin Gaethje pounded Tony Ferguson for four and a half rounds in the main event before it was stopped. Two other UFC events were held in town at that time, too, a May 13 Fight Night headlined by Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira, and a May 16 Fight Night capped by Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris.
The promotion returned in 2021 with UFC 261 and again last year for UFC 273, another loaded card that saw an epic slugfest between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns.