A veteran UFC fighter has announced he is changing weight classes as Josh Emmett is set to move back up to the lightweight division.
After losing his last three fights and five of his last six bouts overall, Emmett knew he needed to make a career change to try something different.
At age 41, it’s getting harder for Emmett to cut the weight to make the featherweight limit of 145 lbs, and so he is moving back up to 155 lbs, the weight class where he began his UFC career in 2016.
Josh Emmett Moves Up To Lightweight
Speaking to MMAFighting.com’s Jose Youngs, Emmett confirmed that he is switching weight classes and moving up 10 lbs in weight.
“I’ll definitely fight before the end of the year. I’m enjoying some things that I’ve wanted to do for a while, so I’m doing that right now. Maybe anywhere from October to early December and I might go back up to 155. Just that the cut to ‘45 is just crazy,” Emmett said.
“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.”
Although he is switching weight classes, Emmett knows that his opponents at lightweight are still going to be very difficult, though he is happy he doesn’t have to kill himself to make the weight at 155 lbs.
“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, (expletive), 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. It’s super competitive, both the weight classes,” Emmett said.
Potential Opponents for Josh Emmett
Heading back up to lightweight at age 41, the UFC matchmakers have true sensible options when it comes to the type of opponent they will match Emmett up with: either he fights someone his own age, or he’s used as a gatekeeper against someone much younger.
If he fights a veteran, other older fighters who would be intriguing opponents for Emmett include Drew Dober, King Green, Michael Chandler, Jim Miller, Diego Ferreira, and Jared Gordon, just to name a few.
If he fights a younger opponent on the rise, then some options include the likes of Gauge Young, Rong Zhu, Francis Marshall, Manoel Sousa, and Evan Elder, among others.
We’ll see who the UFC matchmakers give Emmett for his next bout, but it feels like, given his age and recent string of losses, he should be fighting someone closer to his age rather than being used as a stepping stone against someone much younger than him, but we’ll see what the matchmakers end up doing.
Look for Emmett to return later this year as he looks to snap his three-fight losing skid.
Veteran UFC Fighter Changes Weight Classes