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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Nolan King and Mike Bohn

UFC books Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria for five-round headliner

Featherweight contenders will collide in the UFC main event on June 17.

Josh Emmett will compete in his second promotional main event when he takes on Ilia Topuria, who will compete in his first five-round UFC fight. The event does not currently have a known location or venue.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. User @KOlmeneroMMA broke the news on Twitter.

Emmett (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) looks to bounce back from a UFC 284 submission loss to Yair Rodriguez in February. The co-main event bout was for the interim featherweight title. Prior to the defeat, Emmett won five fights in a row, including victories over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Shane Burgos, and Dan Ige among others.

Topuria (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) remains unblemished as a professional as he enters his most high-profile booking to date. He most recently competed at UFC 282 in December when he submitted grappling ace Bryce Mitchell.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for June 17 includes:

  • Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria
  • Alessandro Costa vs. Jimmy Flick
  • Tereza Bleda vs. Gabriella Fernandes
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