After Josh Emmett defeated Calvin Kattar at UFC Austin, he made it clear he wanted to be cage-side for the UFC 276 co-main event that saw Alexander Volkanovski take on Max Holloway.
Although Emmett was in the building, he was put in the back and didn’t get any shine on the broadcast to say that he is next in line. With that, Urijah Faber, who coaches Emmett, says he felt disrespected, and Faber plans on letting the UFC know it.
Disrespect for Josh Emmett
“[Emmett] had a really bad experience,” Faber said on Sunday at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 2 grappling event. “He was put way back in the seating, not even with the rest of the guys, and had to find his way by himself upstairs because they have peons working security that are getting paid minimum wage that are like, ‘Hey, you can’t come this way.’”
Who next for @AlexVolkanovski after #UFC276? 🏆🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/hCKCgnvhPB
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 5, 2022
“He’s not a confrontational guy,” Faber continued, “unless you’re paying him to beat someone up. He was really upset that there wasn’t more made of the fact that he’s the guy in line. I’m going to talk to Dana [White] about it and talk to Hunter [Campbell] and let them know that it’s really bullsh*t. [We got] ghosted. It’s really sad and his wife was livid, he was livid and he was just like, ‘What do I have to do to get a little bit of respect?’ So, Dana, I hope you see this and understand that it’s Josh’s time.”
Could Josh Emmett Change Divisions?
Not only did Emmett feel disrespected, but he was so mad at one point that Faber says he wanted to ask the UFC for his release. He didn’t think he was being treated fairly as one who is deserving of the next title shot.
“Last night he was like, ‘You know what, F this. I wish they’d just release me. I get no respect,’” Faber said, quoting Emmett. “He’s like, ‘I think I’m going to drop down to ’35 and fight O’Malley cause that’s who’s getting all the credit.’”
“I’m like, ‘First off,'” Faber went on, “‘it’s not going to be good for your body to drop all that weight. You’re right there knocking on the door, we just have to make it happen and I’m really sorry you had such a bad experience.’ He literally, if you look at his Instagram, posted a picture from the rafters cause he kept getting moved to the MMA basement because of a miscommunication. So that was really frustrating to find out in the aftermath.’”
Of course, Volkanovski ended up winning by decision and after the fight, he hinted at moving up to lightweight. The winner of the Brian Ortega-Yair Rodriguez bout could be next in line for a title shot, but Emmett still hopes it is him that gets the call.
