After his fight with Bryce Mitchell was promoted to the main card of UFC 296 late in the week, Josh Emmett provided an impressive start to the card when he scored a shocking knockout in the first round.
Mitchell entered the fight as the favorite in the betting window, due in part to his tremendous reach and grappling. But Mitchell never got a chance to use either tool before he found himself falling to the plate.
Emmett scored the finish at the 1:57 mark of the first round after unloading a right hand that connected cleanly on Mitchell’s jaw.
“I’m the strongest featherweight in the world,” Emmett said after the fight. “It only takes one shot.”
After returning to consciousness, Mitchell remained on unsteady legs as UFC officials helped him walk to the locker room.
Mitchell took the fight on short notice when Emmett’s original opponent, Giga Chikadze, had to withdraw from the bout due to injury.
The win was big for Emmett, who entered Saturday with an 0-2 record in 2023. After losing an interim featherweight title bout to Yair Rodriguez, Emmett suffered a crushing defeat to Elijah Topuria in June.
The win was also Emmett’s first victory since he stopped Mirsad Bektic in July 2019.
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