Josh Emmett battered Felipe Arantes with his right hand while knocking the Brazilian to the mat four times in the first round before cruising to a unanimous-decision win.
Judges gave Emmett (12-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) the shutout despite adjustments from Arantes (18-9-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC) later in the fight. They scored the bout 30-26 twice and 30-25.
The featherweight bout opened the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 118 event at Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
In his first UFC fight at 145 pounds, Emmett brought all of his power from lightweight to bear on Arantes. Just about every time he threw his right hand, Arantes crashed to the mat. Yet every time, Arantes managed to survive, no doubt aided by Emmett’s desire to stand on the feet.
In the second frame, Arantes found his range and managed to keep Emmett at bay with a jab. Emmett’s charges were less successful, and a lunging knee from Arantes kept him honest. By the end of the frame, Emmett, looking a little less fresh than his dominant opening round, found a takedown and closed out the frame.
By the third, Emmett found his power punch again. But Arantes didn’t take any more trips to the mat, and he twice caught Emmett with his lunging knee. The two slugged it out to close the fight, but Emmett’s lead on the scorecards was clear.
Emmett gets back to the win column after a split-call loss to Desmond Green that sent him down a weight class. Arantes has now lost two straight.
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