JOSH EMMETT looked unrecognisable following his featherweight showdown with Ilia Topuria.
The long-time Team Alpha Male star locked horns with the surging 145lb contender on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Jacksonville.
GettyJosh Emmett locked horns with Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC Jacksonville[/caption]
GETTYThe Team Alpha Male star took a pasting at the hands of E Matador[/caption]
GETTYEmmett’s face was a bloody mess thanks to cuts above both eyes[/caption]
GETTYThe Fighting Falmer looked unrecognisable after going the distance[/caption]
Emmett was hoping to halt the Georgian-born Spaniard’s assault on the division but came up short, suffering a unanimous decision defeat.
The 38-year-old found struggled to deal with Topuria’s slick boxing, in particular his stiff jab, and was dropped in the second and fourth rounds – the latter of which was a one-sided beatdown.
And his face bore the brunt of the damage, with his left eye bleeding profusely as it was nearly swollen shut.
MMA fans were quick to comment on the brutal beating, with one saying: “Josh Emmett’s face. Jesus f**k.”
Another said: “Jesus Josh Emmett’s face.”
And another said: “Ilia Topuria using Josh Emmett’s face to show everyone he belongs with the featherweight elite.”
One remarked: “The toughness of Josh Emmett tho [sic].”
Another chimed in: “Josh Emmett’s face is destroyed.”
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Topuria’s drubbing of the No.5-ranked Emmett stretched his record to a perfect 14-0, with six of those victories coming inside the octagon.
And El Matador’s sights are now set on featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, who defends his title in a unification fight with Yair Rodriguez in a fortnight.
He said: “I’m the next guy in the line.
“Who deserves more than me to fight for the title? No one else. So I’m the next guy.”
GETTYIlia Topuria is now 14-0 and has set his sights on UFC featherweight gold[/caption]
Topuria added: “I’m going to finish him in the first round.
“Of course it’s going to be a little bit bigger to beat someone who is pound-for-pound No. 1.
“It’s going to be bigger than if Yair beats him, and I beat Yair.
“Because Yair lost a lot of fights with a lot of ranked guys – with Max Holloway, with Frankie Edgar.
“He lost a lot of fights. I prefer the fight against Alex and to take the win against him.”