Josh Emmett teases lightweight return after ‘crazy’ weight cuts to 145 lbs

UFC featherweight knockout artist Josh Emmett could be on his way to the lightweight division after a series of brutal weight cuts.

Josh Emmett is one of the most decorated knockout artists in UFC featherweight history after finishes over Bryce Mitchell, Michael Johnson, and Ricardo Lamas. The 41-year-old Emmett is usually in firefights when he enters the Octagon, as evidenced by recent fights against top featherweights like Lerone Murphy and former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria.

Before Emmett made the full-time move to the featherweight division, he was a blossoming lightweight prospect with wins over Scott Holtzman and Jon Tuck. But a controversial split-decision loss to Desmond Green at UFC 210 led Emmett to postpone his lightweight ambitions.

After a recent main event knockout loss to Kevin Vallejos, Emmett wants to resume his UFC career at lightweight to potentially end his recent skid of losses in five of his last six fights.

Josh Emmett targets lightweight move after three-fight featherweight skid

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Emmett explained his rationale behind returning to the lightweight division.

“The cut to [145] is just crazy. It’s so hard and I think it is affecting my performances. … I think my next fight, you guys will see me back at lightweight,” Emmett said.

“I’m a fan of the sport and I think the average male size is anyone from the featherweight to the lightweight, so I feel like those are the most competitive divisions. Even when I was wrestling in college, I was always in the toughest weight class.

“I wrestled at 157 in college, so in hindsight, I’m like, s—, I wish I was smaller, or I wish I had this frame and I was a light heavyweight or a heavyweight, but I don’t,” Emmett continued. “It’s super competitive, both the weight classes.”

Emmett went on to reveal he’s targeting a return to the Octagon in Quarter 4 against a Top 15 lightweight.

Who should Josh Emmett fight in his targeted lightweight return? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!