Joshua James Emmett (born March 4, 1985) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He currently competes in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC). A professional since 2011, Emmett has also competed for

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstre ...

. As of April 8, 2025, he is #10 in the UFC featherweight rankings.

Background

Emmett was born in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, on March 4, 1985. He grew up in a

dysfunctional family In psychology, abnormality (also dysfunctional behavior, maladaptive behavior, or deviant behavior) is a behavioral characteristic assigned to those with conditions that are regarded as dysfunctional. Behavior is considered to be abnormal when i ...

with a single mom and late brother, Nick. He studied

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

in college with the intention of going into law enforcement and earned his Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree at

Menlo College Menlo College is a private college specializing in business and located in Atherton, California, United States. Campus Menlo College is situated on a 45-acre (0.18 km2) campus in Atherton, California, 25 miles southeast of San Francisco an ...

. He wrestled for 14 years; beginning at El Camino Fundamental High School and continuing through his college years. Emmett wrestled his first two seasons at the

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

level at

Sacramento City College Sacramento City College (SCC) is a public community college in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community ...

, before transferring to NAIA Menlo College. After his collegiate career was over, he joined Urijah Faber's Ultimate Fitness to continue his desire in competing in combat sports. Emmett is also an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler, he won a World championship in the blue belt no-gi division.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

2011

After compiling an amateur record of 2–0, Emmett started his professional MMA career on October 8, 2011, and made his debut in Capitol Fighting Championship as a

. He broke his hand in the first round and continued with the fight and managed to earn his first win by unanimous decision. Emmett had surgery on his broken hand and had a 10 month lay off from competing. He returned to training to prepare for his next fight and broke the same hand on his last sparring session prior to the fight event which forced him to take another long break before returning to the cage.

2013

After his first professional win, he made a move to compete in West Coast Fighting Championship (WFC) and made his debut on August 3, 2013, against Mike Ryan, winning via guillotine choke in the first round. On November 16, 2013, Emmett faced Noah Schnable and defeated him in 45 seconds in round one with TKO (punches).

2014

Emmett's third opponent with West Coast Fighting Championship was Adin Duenas on February 15, 2014. He managed to secure a win via unanimous decision. Two months after the fight with Duenas, Emmett faced Tramain Smith at West Coast Fighting Championship 9. He won the fight via TKO (punches) in round one. On September 13, 2014, Emmett was up against Tony Rios and judges awarded a win with a unanimous decision in favor of Emmett. Emmett faced Brandon Ricetti on November 15, 2014, at West Coast Fighting Championship 12 in a five-round fight for the lightweight title belt. In the fifth round, Emmett loaded with punches, pressing Recetti to fall forward when Emmett hit Ricetti with a knee and Ricetti was KO. The fight was ruled a No Decision at first as Ricetti was grounded when he got kneed. However, the decision was overturned after a review of the incident and a win was awarded to Emmett via unanimous technical decision. Emmett was crowned WFC Lightweight Champion.

2015

After he secured the championship belt, Emmett didn't return to compete until almost one year later on October 3, 2015, at KOTC promotion, facing Rocky Johnson. Emmett showed off his submission skills and won the fight via arm-triangle choke.

2016

Emmett returned to fight in West Coast Fighting Championship promotion in Sacramento, California, US, on January 23, 2016, against Christos Giagos, a former UFC fighter. Emmett secured a win via TKO at 2:21 of round 3 and also won the ISCF - International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF) Pro California Lightweight Title.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After garnering a 9–0 record as a professional, Emmett signed with the UFC.

2016

Emmett made his promotional debut as a short notice replacement on May 8, 2016, against

Jon Tuck Jonathan Cruz Tuck (born August 28, 1984) is a Chamorro professional mixed martial artist. Tuck is the first Chamorro native from Guam to be signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and competes at the Lightweight division. His of ...

at UFC Fight Night 87, where he replaced an injured

Nick Hein Nick Hein (born April 24, 1984) is a German retired mixed martial artist and actor, who is best known for appearing in the German television show '' Diese Kaminskis''. Before Hein became an actor, he was also a national judo champion and police o ...

. Emmett suffered a compound fracture on his left right finger from catching Tuck's spinning back kick and the referee halted the fight briefly prior to restarting. Emmett secured a win with split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). Emmett was expected to face

Jeremy Kennedy Jeremy Michael Fitz-Kennedy (born September 16, 1992) is a Canadians, Canadian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. In addition to competing for Bellator, Kennedy has also c ...

on August 27, 2016, at UFC on Fox 21. However, Emmett was forced out of the event, due to an injury. On December 17, 2016, Emmett faced Scott Holtzman at UFC on Fox 22. The three round fight was a back and forth battle and judges awarded the win to Emmett via unanimous decision.

2017

Emmett faced promotional newcomer Desmond Green on April 8, 2017, at UFC 210. Emmett was outpointed by Green's striking and lost the fight via split decision of 29-28, 28-29, and 30-27. Emmett faced Felipe Arantes in a featherweight bout on October 21, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 118. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Emmett dedicated this win to his friend's son, who has heart condition, at the age of 11 and has gone through an experimental surgery. Emmett faced Ricardo Lamas on December 16, 2017, at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos. At the weigh ins, Emmett weighed in at 148.5 pounds, 2.5 pounds over the featherweight upper limit of 146 pounds and the bout proceeded at a catchweight. Emmett forfeited 30% of his purse to Lamas. Emmett won the fight via knockout in the first round.

2018

Emmett faced

Jeremy Stephens Jeremy Dean Stephens (born May 26, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist, Bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle boxer and professional boxer, who currently competes in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of the Ultimate Figh ...

at UFC on Fox 28, which took place on February 24, 2018, in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. Despite hurting Stephens in the first round, Emmett lost the fight by knockout in the second round, after being hurt with a knee and elbows to the head. As a result, Emmett was sidelined for the remainder of 2018, after undergoing successful surgery to correct facial injuries sustained during the Stephens fight.

2019

Emmett faced Michael Johnson on March 30, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 2. He won the fight via knockout in the third round. Emmett faced Mirsad Bektić on July 13, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 155. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

2020

Emmett was expected to face Arnold Allen on January 25, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 166. However, Emmett pulled out the fight, citing an undisclosed injury, and he was replaced by Nik Lentz. Emmett was expected to face Edson Barboza on May 2, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Weidman. However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced, that this event was postponed, and the bout cancelled. With one fight left on his contract, Emmett signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC. As the first fight of his new prevailing contract, Emmett faced Shane Burgos on June 20, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov. He won the bout via unanimous decision. This win earned him the'' Fight of the Night'' award. Emmett was sidelined for the remainder of 2020 and most of 2021, recovering from a litany of injuries to his left leg sustained in the fight, including an ACL tear.

2021

Emmett faced Dan Ige on December 11, 2021, at UFC 269. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

2022

Emmett faced

Calvin Kattar Calvin Kattar ( ; born March 26, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and owner of MMA promotion ''Combat Zone''. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Figh ...

on June 18, 2022, in the main event at UFC on ESPN 37. He won the close bout via split decision. 14 of the 19 media members scored the fight in favor of Kattar. The bout earned Emmett the Fight of the Night award.

2023

Emmett faced Yair Rodríguez for the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship on February 12, 2023, at UFC 284. Emmett lost the bout via triangle choke submission in the second round. Emmett was initially scheduled to face Ilia Topuria on June 17, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 47. However, the promotion later announced, that the bout was shifted to headline UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria on June 24, 2023. Emmett lost the fight via unanimous decision. The bout earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' award. Emmett was scheduled to face Giga Chikadze on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296. However, Chikadze withdrew, due to an undisclosed injury, and he was replaced by Bryce Mitchell. Emmett won the fight via knockout in the first round. This fight earned Emmett the '' Performance of the Night'' award.

2025

Emmett faced Lerone Murphy on April 5, 2025 in the main event at UFC on ESPN 65. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and awards

** Performance of the Night (Two times) ** Fight of the Night (Three times) ** Most knockdowns in UFC Featherweight division history (12) ***Tied (

Chuck Liddell Charles David Liddell (born December 17, 1969) is an American former professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2018, Liddell is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion (from 2005 to 2007) and i ...

Quinton Jackson Quinton Ramone Jackson (born June 20, 1978), known by his ring name of Rampage Jackson, is an American rapper, former mixed martial artist, actor, kickboxer, and professional wrestler. During the course of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, ...

Cody Garbrandt Cody Ray Allen Garbrandt (born July 7, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. Backg ...

Montel Jackson Montel Samuel Jackson (born April 24, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, he is #14 in the ...

) for most consecutive fights with a knockdown landed in UFC history (7) **UFC Honors Awards *** 2020: President's Choice Fight of the Year Nominee **UFC.com Awards ***2016: Ranked #8 Newcomer of the Year ***2017: Ranked #2 Upset of the Year ***2019: Ranked #10 Knockout of the Year ***2020: Ranked #4 Fight of the Year *** 2023:

Knockout of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Knockout of the Year since 1989, based on the magazine's writers' criteria. Knockouts of the Year by decade 1980s * 1989: Michael Nunn ''KO 1'' Sumbu Kalambay see Michael Nunn v ...

vs. Bryce Mitchell *West Coast Fighting Championship **WCFC Lightweight Champion (One time) **ISCF Pro California Lightweight Champion (One time)

Personal life

Emmett is married to his wife Vanessa.

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

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Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emmett, Josh Living people 1985 births Sportspeople from South San Francisco, California Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Martial artists from Sacramento, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

2011

2013

2014

2015

2016

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2025

Championships and awards

Personal life

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links