UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria

The UFC heads to Jacksonville, Florida, this weekend for a Fight Night event that will air live on the ABC network in the United States.

UFC Fight Night: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria does not feature the most loaded card of all time, but with hope, it should provide fans with some explosive fights to watch.

Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria.

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#1. UFC featherweight bout: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria is still unbeaten in his octagon tenure

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has his hands full with interim champion Yair Rodriguez next month, but it’s also likely that he’ll be keeping a close eye on this fight, too.

That’s because if Ilia Topuria can overcome Josh Emmett – who lost to Rodriguez for the interim title earlier this year – then it seems highly likely that he’ll be next in line for the Australian champion.

‘El Matador’ is not only 5-0 in the octagon thus far, he’s also looked like a truly devastating prospect. A brutal power puncher with a powerful wrestling game, fans expected him to dispatch the likes of Damon Jackson and Ryan Hall.

However, they didn’t expect him to blast through the unbeaten Bryce Mitchell with utter ease last December. It was a truly scary performance, especially as Mitchell had previously dispatched Edson Barboza and looked like a high-level contender in his own right.

The only big question on Topuria, really, is how he deals with adversity. He’s never really taken any heavy punches, nobody’s been able to test his grappling, and he’s only been taken down once.

With any luck, Emmett will be able to test him. ‘The Fighting Falmer’ has been around for a long time now, dating back to his octagon debut in May 2016.

There was very little hype on Emmett until he knocked out Ricardo Lamas in a shocker in late 2017. Since then, he’s won five of his next seven bouts, falling only to Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens.

Emmett is a bit of an odd fighter to gauge. He’s not the most explosive athlete, he isn’t that quick, and his wrestling game, while strong, isn’t the best in the division. However, he does have a tendency to be able to throw thudding knockout punches largely from nowhere, even in bouts he’s losing. He also doesn’t take too many heavy shots, meaning that his power can often earn him the nod in close decisions.

The big question here, then, is whether Emmett’s low-volume style can work against Topuria’s hyperactive assault. A lot could depend on whether ‘El Matador’ can take the veteran down. Emmett has only been grounded on a handful of occasions during his octagon career, and so if he can block Topuria’s takedowns early on, he could gain confidence.

However, whether he can deal with the striking attack of the Spaniard is another thing entirely. Topuria does leave himself open to the counter somewhat, but Emmett doesn’t tend to throw pinpoint accurate counters, instead he’ll catch opponents off guard with a haymaker.

Emmett could definitely win this fight, as we just don’t know too much about Topuria’s chin and durability. However, ‘El Matador’ is on a roll while, based on his last fight, Emmett could be on the way down.

The pick, therefore, is Topuria.

The Pick: Topuria via second-round submission

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#2. UFC flyweight bout: Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber

Maycee Barber is one of the more powerful flyweights in the UFC

This weekend’s co-headliner is a battle of ranked flyweights, as No.9 Amanda Ribas takes on No.11 Maycee Barber. Neither woman will get an outright UFC title shot with a win, but they will certainly elevate themselves into contention.

Of the two, despite arguably having the less impressive record, Ribas is probably on the better run. The Brazilian has fought at both flyweight and strawweight and has found success in both divisions. She holds one defeat at 125 pounds, to Katlyn Chookagian last year, and most recently outpointed Viviane Araujo.

Barber, meanwhile, hasn’t quite hit the heights that were expected of her upon her UFC debut back in 2018. ‘The Future’ has won her last four bouts, but all four were relatively close fights to call, with many people believing she lost to Andrea Lee and Miranda Maverick.

Barber is a brutally strong fighter at 125 pounds, and that’s the biggest weapon in her arsenal. She’s powerful, athletic, and has a good wrestling game as well as knockout power.

Technically, though, her skills haven’t quite caught up to her athletic gifts, and that means she can be both outgrappled and outstruck. Of course, it isn’t easy for an opponent to do that unless they’re athletically gifted too, and that’s why only Alexa Grasso has really beaten ‘The Future’, with her only other loss coming after a severe knee injury.

The big question here, then, is whether the smaller, less powerful Ribas can use her technique to outpoint Barber over three rounds. It’s highly unlikely she’ll be able to finish her, based on her only putting away two foes in the octagon.

Barber, on the other hand, hasn’t been finishing her foes recently, but she still hits remarkably hard, and her last fight with Lee did see her show some improvements in her overall striking game.

This one should be tricky to call, but overall, the bigger moments are likely to be produced by Barber, therefore, it’s likely she comes away with a semi-controversial decision win.

The Pick: Barber via decision

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#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

Talented middleweight Brendan Allen is in action this weekend

In a heavyweight bout, Austen Lane faces Justin Tafa. This one is likely to be a wild slugfest for as long as it lasts. Former NFL player Lane is making his UFC debut, but has won his last six fights, all via finish, and knocked out his foe on Dana White’s Contender Series last year.

Whether this explosive athlete can stand up to the power of Tafa, though, is another thing. ‘Bad Man’ is not a technical marvel or a quick athlete, but like his countryman Mark Hunt, he hits brutally hard and has a rock solid chin.

This one is tough to call given Tafa’s limitations and Lane’s athleticism, but the pick is ‘Bad Man’ via KO.

In a featherweight tilt, David Onama takes on Gabriel Santos. Onama is 2-2 in the octagon thus far, but he has looked great in flashes. He could well have taken the nod in his last fight with Nate Landwehr with different judges, which would’ve put him on a three-fight win streak.

Santos, meanwhile, looked like an explosive finisher during his time on the Brazilian regional scene, but was outworked in his octagon debut in March.

This one should be close because Santos could well produce a much better showing in his second visit to the octagon. However, Onama looks like the safer bet, so the pick is ‘The Silent Assassin’ via decision.

Finally, Brendan Allen meets Bruno Silva in a middleweight bout. Currently ranked at No.13 in the division, Allen is on the best run of his career having won his last four bouts, including three via submission.

‘All In’ is not the most durable fighter, but he has the skills to make up for that, and he’s a dangerous finisher from all areas.

Silva, meanwhile, hits like a truck, but he can also be outworked, particularly on the ground, and while he’s powerful, he isn’t the best technical boxer.

‘Blindado’ could definitely win this fight if he lands clean, but Allen is the better overall fighter. The pick is ‘All In’ via submission.

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#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

UFC welterweight bout: Neil Magny vs. Philip Rowe

UFC flyweight bout: Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Joshua Van

UFC middleweight bout: Cody Brundage vs. Sedriques Dumas

UFC welterweight bout: Randy Brown vs. Wellington Turman

UFC lightweight bout: Mateusz Rebecki vs. Loik Radzhabov

UFC lightweight bout: Trevor Peek vs. Jose Mariscal

UFC strawweight bout: Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson

UFC featherweight bout: Jamall Emmers vs. Jack Jenkins

UFC flyweight bout: Tatsuro Taira vs. Kleydson Rodrigues