Ilia Topuria on Josh Emmett: 'He's perfect to be finished in the first round'

Ilia Topuria expects to make quick work of Josh Emmett.

In his first UFC headliner, Topuria (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will meet former interim featherweight title challenger Emmett (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) on June 17.

Topuria is unbeaten in his professional MMA career with finishes in all but one of his fights. With Emmett’s willingness to trade on the feet, Topuria thinks the matchup plays right in his favor to notch an early finish.

“Josh Emmett has nothing to lose,” Topuria told ESPN Deportes. “He’s fighting a superstar. He’ll be proud to share the cage with me for the rest of his life. He’ll tell his kids that he was there with me one time. He’s perfect to be finished in the first round. His style matches with mine in a way that I will shine that night. My only concern is that he shows up on the night of the fight.”

In his most recent outing, the 26-year-old Topuria bounced Bryce Mitchell out of the ranks of the unbeaten with a second-round submission at UFC 282. The finish marked his fourth straight in the octagon.

Emmett will look to rebound from an interim title fight submission loss to Yair Rodriguez at UFC 284 in February. Prior to the setback, Emmett was on a five-fight winning streak – including victories over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Shane Burgos and Dan Ige.