He’s been pushed at times, and was dropped by a head kick in the first round of his fight with Herbert last year in London, but each time he’s stepped into the Octagon, Topuria has walked out with a victory in hand. And since going the distance with Youssef Zalal in his short-notice debut, he’s done so without needing any input from the judges, which makes it easy to see why the Georgian fighter who lives and trains in Alicante, Spain, is brimming with confidence, both heading into Saturday’s contest with Emmett, and in general.
“I don’t care what people think about me: I know who I am, what I’m capable of doing, and I have God by my side all the time,” Topuria said when asked about those that still question whether he has what it takes to back up his bold statements and work his way to the top of the division. “I feel ready for this moment. I’ve worked not just this training camp, but my whole life for this moment and I feel more than ready.
“You will see — I’m going to make it look real easy; people will be surprised with my performance this time.”
Beating Emmett is a tall order — he’s 18-3 over the course of his career — and no one has ever considered him an easy out.
While he enters Saturday’s headlining bout off a second-round submission loss to Yair Rodriguez at UFC 284 in February, the 38-year-old Team Alpha Male staple has been a fixture in the Top 10 for the last five or six years, posting knockout wins over Ricardo Lamas and Michael Johnson, and additional victories over Shane Burgos, Dan Ige, and Calvin Kattar.
