One of the hardest hitters in the history of the sport doesn’t plan on wrapping things up anytime soon.
In the main event of UFC Vegas 105, Josh Emmett returns from a 16-month break to take on Lerone Murphy at the Apex.
The American has 14 UFC fights under his belt at 40-years-old and some of those contests, like his clash with Ilia Topuria, haven’t been a walk in the park for Emmett.
That being said, his age won’t stop him from getting back into title contention if he’s able to break the undefeated streak of Manchester’s Murphy.
Regardless of what happens on April 5, the former interim title challenger doesn’t see this as a make or break moment for one last run.
Josh Emmett says retirement isn’t in the picture as he looks to continue competing into his 40s
At 40-years-old, Josh Emmett is the oldest featherweight contender in the top 15 right now.
It’s not until you get to the welterweight division and above that there is an older top 15 contender but the Team Alpha Male fighter isn’t concerned about that.
He’s confident that he can still compete at the highest level for years to come and he credits his longevity with the way that he looks after his body.
In a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Emmett categorically drew a line under any idea that April 5 could be the final outing of his career.
“Retirement is not even, there’s not even a question.”
He went on to explain that the way he was raised has a big part to play in his career because he always ate well when he was growing up thanks to his mother being ahead of the curve when it comes to the health benefits.
Alongside with the way that he goes about being a professional athlete, Emmett hopes that he can be an outlier in the sport in the same way that Tom Brady continued to play football at the highest level into his 40s.
“Also, all the recovery modalities that I do. I take care of my body and you don’t see a lot of success in the lighter weights at my age but like a good friend and mentor told me, I’m only 20-years-old but I have 20 years experience so I’m sticking to that and I’m gonna be the Tom Brady of MMA.”
Josh Emmett has the kind of power that means he’s never too far away from a title shot
Winning is one thing but producing highlight reel knockouts is sure to accelerate a contender’s rise up the rankings.
Very few fighters have that one-punch power that always makes them a second away from ending the fight in jaw-dropping fashion.
Josh Emmett did just that in his latest outing against Bryce Mitchell which has put him back into the mix after back-to-back losses.
If he’s able to become the first man to beat Lerone Murphy on April 5 and do it in impressive fashion, he will likely be just one more win away from a shot at UFC gold.