That “just another fight” approach helped him bounce back from a second-round stoppage loss to Julian Erosa on Season 2 of the Contender Series and rattle off the four straight victories that helped earn him last year’s call to the UFC roster and turn his second appearance in the Octagon into his first win in the promotion.
“My last fight, it felt like it was just another fight,” said Emmers, who also counts wins over TUF finalist Jay Cucciniello and Diaz Brother acolyte Chris Avila amongst his 18 career victories. “I only need to experience something once and then I’ve got a feel for it, so I can adjust to how I need to operate; I’m pretty adaptable that way.
“Getting that first victory took a little pressure off me, but I’m the kind of fighter that I love pressure,” he added. “The more pressure, the better I am.
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“Knowing Chas, I know he will want to grapple heavy, and me, I might want to strike more with him, and the added pressure of me maybe getting taken down, I love how that feels. It’s like, ‘He might be able to take me down and hold me.’”
Emmers paused.
“I don’t think he’s going to be able to do any of that, but I put it in my mind.”
Comfortable competing on the big stage and a couple days away from facing the opponent he’s prepared for throughout training camp, the Miami-born, Inland Empire-based Emmers sees this weekend as a chance to register a second straight victory and map out what will hopefully be an active year inside the Octagon.
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“I like that I get to see my schedule a little earlier instead of waiting until the middle of the year or later in the year,” Emmers said of once again getting a relatively early start to this year’s campaign in the cage. “That way I can gauge how many fights I’ll be able to get this year.
“If I come out of this fight healthy enough, I’ll turn right back around and get another fight as soon as possible.
“I see me winning, of course — dictating the pace of the fight, doing whatever I want,” he added when asked how he sees things playing out on Saturday night inside the APEX. “I feel like overall, I’m the superior fighter.”
After a pair of late changes last year, Emmers might actually get the chance to prove that against the opponent he’s been preparing for, provided those familiar four words don’t rear their head once more: card subject to change.
