Josh Emmett

Josh Emmett will jump into the Top 5 rankings in the featherweight division following his split decision win over No. 4 ranked Calvin Kattar at UFC Austin.

Yair Rodriguez is ranked No. 3 and was defeated by Holloway in his last fight. Brian Ortega is ranked No. 2 and was soundly defeated by Volkanovski in his last outing. Holloway is ranked No. 1 in the division and he’s facing the champion in the UFC 276 co-main event.

UFC Austin took place June 18 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Top featherweight standouts Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett squared off in a five-round ...

By SD,— UFC (@ufc) @JoshEmmettUFCseals the deal after 5️⃣! #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/LHHJC2QjAl June 19, 2022 Razor-thin heading into RD 5!— UFC (@ufc) #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/m2iOO4BxMG June 19, 2022 GUARANTEED BANGER— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/60e7YN5ETw June 19, 2022

Sean Zerillo breaks down Saturday's matchup between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett at UFC Fight Night (Moody Center, Austin, TX).

In theory, Emmett may possess the grappling upside in this fight. I expect Emmett to hurt Kattar early in this fight and potentially steal a round or two by having the most significant moments in those rounds before Kattar goes back to winning the vast majority of minutes. Kattar is both the taller and longer fighter and is far more active in the cage than Emmett. I expect Kattar to primarily win minutes in this fight with output, while Emmett has the more impactful moments. I paired Kattar (at -230) in a plus-money (+103) parlay with Kyle Daukaus (at -240) at a slight edge which is still available at DraftKings. And I view both fighters as relatively safe parlay pieces, provided they both can avoid a knockout loss at the hands of powerful but less skilled opponents. 0.1 3/4/85 0.1 3/26/88 Orthodox Orthodox 145 lbs. 145 lbs.

Here is everything you need to watch for the pivotal featherweight clash between Kattar and Emmett in Austin, Texas.

Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who's up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out. It's the second time in a row the two have had their fight canceled on the day of the event after Cerrone fell ill hours before UFC 274 in May. As a result, Adrian Yanez vs. Emmett marks only the third UFC Fight Night in front of a full-capacity crowd in 2022. A knockout win for either fighter is always on the table, but Kattar has never been knocked out and Emmett's one KO loss involved seemingly illegal shots. First, Kattar picks away at Emmett over five rounds but loses a round or two as a consequence of Emmett's power. You come to the UFC to fight the best guys in the world and earn your opportunities, and I think we've both done a good job of earning this main event Saturday night. A powerful wrestler with dynamite in his fists, Emmett finds himself closer to a world title than ever before. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including the top storylines to follow this weekend in Austin below. "We haven't turned down a fight yet, and that's not really something that when I got to UFC that I planned on doing. The co-main event was expected to see the long-awaited battle of veterans Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Joe Lauzon. However, Lauzon suffered a freak injury on Friday after weigh-ins and was forced to withdraw from the bout. Kattar's dominance against the renowned kickboxer immediately renewed him as a contender worth watching in the featherweight division. Yair Rodriguez as next in line for a UFC title shot, barring a fourth installment in the seemingly infinite rivalry between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

UFC Austin live results begin at 4p ET/1p PT on Saturday, June 18, on MMAWeekly.com. Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett tops the UFC on ESPN 37 fight card in ...

- Main Event – Featherweight: Josh Emmett def. The UFC on ESPN 37 main event featherweight fight between Calvin Kattar (23-5) and Josh Emmett (17-2) features two fighters on the cusp of a title shot. Jasmine Jasudavicius by unanimous decision (30–26, 30–26, 30–27) UFC Austin Results – Preliminary Card (4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN2) NOTE: Click on the images with the yellow name plates at the bottom of the Fight Analytics window and drag until you see the fight you are interested in. Cerrone, in fact, is heading into his 48th bout in a UFC or WEC cage. Calvin Kattar by split decision (47–48, 48–47, 48–47) Emmett is currently on a four-fight winning streak. UFC Austin Results – Main Card (7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN) Regardless, both of these fighters are known for entertaining showdowns that excite fans. In-fight live stats and results provided courtesy of Fight Analytics. - UFC on ESPN 37 main card start time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on ESPN+ and ESPN

Taking a look at the odds, pick, and prediction for the main event of UFC Austin between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett.

Emmett is going to have to pick his moments and counter the high-volume approach of Kattar. The wrestling is going to play a factor as Emmett has the slightly better wrestling game and could land takedowns to tire out his opponents and win rounds. Kattar is going to have to survive some big moments and Emmett’s wrestling is going to be the unknown factor. His durability will allow him to be more confident in his striking and land heavy shots on Emmett. He’ll have to make sure he doesn’t absorb too much damage as that will become a problem against a power puncher. The style seems to favor Kattar as he’s comfortable going five rounds and will be landing the most shots. To win things on the feet, Emmett is going to have apply a southpaw stance, something that’s given Kattar problems in the past. Kattar has the potential to put Emmett out in the later rounds with his power and volume leading to many opportunities for the finish. He’s currently on a sneaky four-fight win streak that includes big wins over Dan Ige and Michael Johnson. He’ll be looking to continue his rise to the top by stopping Calvin Kattar at UFC Austin. The California native doesn’t rely on knockouts to get the win though, his style is based on his wrestling paired with his boxing to force opponents to respect him. The jab is going to be a factor as he’ll want to keep the shorter man on the outside and avoid any big counters. Kattar has a primarily boxing style that sees his power come through when he plants his feet. Kattar reminded everyone just how good his striking is and put a beatdown on Chikadze for five rounds. The main event of UFC Austin features a banger of a featherweight matchup between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett. The two featherweights are looking for an opportunity to break through as title contenders and this is the right matchup.

Josh Emmett pulled out a split decision over Calvin Kattar for his fifth straight victory, and afterward said he wants a shot at the winner of the ...

Current champion Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to defend his belt against Max Holloway at UFC 276 on July 2 in Las Vegas, and Emmett demanded a chance to face the winner. Two officials awarded the 145-pound fight 48-47 to Emmett, who went in as the betting underdog. Emmett (18-2) attacked Kattar (23-6) with winging right hands and body shots over the course of a back-and-forth five-round fight.

Josh Emmett showcased power and durability over five rounds to edge out Calvin Kattar by split decision in the UFC Austin main event and now he wants a shot ...

Emmett’s confidence in his power was really a difference maker, especially when he unleashed his right hand over the top. When Emmett was finally able to close the distance, he really looked to unleash his biggest punches including a big hook that crashed into Kattar’s jaw. When it was over, it appeared that Emmett’s ability to consistently tag Kattar with the harder shots is what influenced the judges in a razor-close five-round decision.

Josh Emmett earns a split decision win over Calvin Kattar after a back-and-forth war at UFC on ESPN 37.

Tony Kelley via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:49 Julian Marquez via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:18 “Dana (White), give me my shot.” Kattar is 1-2 in his past three bouts. In the last two minutes, both began to let go a little more. The judges’ scorecards read 48-47 and 48-47 in favor of Emmett and a single 47-48 card for Kattar.

Emmett edged Kattar by split decision in a tactical battle that saw both men bloodied.

The situation made Adrian Yanez, already a thrilling fighter, the rooting favorite for many coming into this match. Juaquin Buckley is known for his stunning 2020 highlight reel knockout of Impa Kasanganay, but on Saturday night, Buckley turned in the most complete fight of his career, battering Albert Duraev with kicks and punches from a variety of angles in their middleweight bout. Buckley showed off some increased skill in grappling, defending well in the moments where Duraev got the fight to the floor and getting back to his feet to continue pouring on damage. By the time the second round began, it was clear Means needed to figure out a way to completely change the course of the fight. The two exchanged words during Friday's ceremonial weigh-ins and the animosity continued as both men flashed some taunts during the opening round of the bout. WHAT IS IN THE WATER IN TEXAS?! 😱— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/Fl1qvGZNa2 June 18, 2022 "There's a huge title fight in two weeks," Emmett said. Down the stretch, Kattar had a clear edge in the number of strikes landed, but Emmett remained dangerous as he continued to land plenty of his own bombs and bloodying Kattar's nose and causing significant swelling around his eye. It appeared the fight could go either way at the conclusion of five very close rounds. The fight was a battle of Kattar's long, straight punches against Emmett's explosive and looping power shots. Heading into the UFC Fight Night featherweight main event between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett, the fans in Austin, Texas, had been spoiled by a record-tying night of eight knockouts. In the night's co-main event, Kevin Holland was set for a big welterweight showdown with Tim Means. From the opening bell, Holland was in control of the fight, using pure pace and aggression to keep Means on his back foot.

In the main event of UFC Austin, we saw a massive matchup in the featherweight division. Top seven contenders battled it out...

Big check left hook lands flush for Kattar. Jab lands for Kattar and now Emmett lands with his jab. Big rip to the body from Emmett and then he lands a clean right over the top. Stiff jab from Kattar snaps the head back of Emmett. The round comes to a close with big heat from Emmett. Strong close for Emmett, but this is Kattar’s round. Right hand from Kattar and Emmett got wobbled and that really opened up Emmett’s cut even more. Right over the top from Kattar. They trade jabs in the center and then Kattar lands a left. Kattar comes forward and Emmett lands a blistering combination on Kattar. Both trade jabs in the center. Now Emmett pushes forward and he tries for a takedown but Kattar shrugs him off. Another big right hand from Emmett backs Kattar up. 1-2 from Emmett and then he doubles up the right hand. Big right over the top lands for Emmett. The striking numbers are very close as we are close to the end of round two. There’s a nice jab from Kattar and he lands a right hand behind it. Another lengthy jab lands for Kattar. Emmett seems to be struggling a bit with the range here in the first.

Featherweight contenders Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett headlined Saturday's UFC Austin fight card at the Moody Center in Texas.

Emmett began going to the body of Kattar. The third round was Emmett’s best of the fight up to that point. As the round ended, Emmett connected to the body. After 25 minutes of fighting, the judges were split on who won, but two scored the bout for Emmett giving him the win. Late in the round, Emmett pressed forward with a combination. Kattar connected with a short right hand and then with a spinning elbow. Late in the round, Emmett connected with a left hand.

Josh Emmett admits he got a little scared when his fight was announced as a split decision, especially after he was convinced that he won four founds ...

I know I can compete with these guys. “I know I can compete with them. “I want that shot,” Emmett said. “We gave that to him but I thought I won three, four and five. “I thought I won four [rounds] to one. “I told you guys I’ll talk to you on Saturday night, a lot of you guys counting me out saying he was a slick boxer, all this type of stuff,” Emmett said.

In Josh Emmett's mind, the UFC on ESPN 37 headliner wasn't a particularly difficult fight to call.

“We gave that to him but I thought I won three, four and five. “So I think this solidifies who is the best. “I want that shot,” Emmett said. “I thought I won four [rounds] to one. “Like I told you guys, I was ready for a 25-minute war. While Kattar held a 130-to-107 edge in significant strikes, Emmett appeared to land with more impact throughout the fight.

Check out the best photos from the UFC on ESPN 37 main event between Josh Emmett and Calvin Kattar, which took place in Austin, Texas.