UFC on FOX 28 Preview
There is no secret that the UFC is in desperate need of stars and they are looking everywhere to try to find someone that can help them.
That includes making some decisions that are going to come into question especially if they go wrong.
One of those decisions will make the UFC look like geniuses or terrible promoters depending on the result.
The UFC will see it’s latest fight card on a major network and they are taking a big risk in who they are putting as the headliner.
That risk comes with the inclusion of Josh Emmett as the main eventer opposite Jeremy Stephens.
Everything about Emmett seems like he could make something of himself in the UFC and become a bigger name.
He is not the type to trash talk though and is not very likely to be a megastar anytime soon no matter how good he is or the camp he comes from.
There is potential in him though and the UFC is going all-in on that bet that he can be something great.
They are putting him as a headliner in one of their most visible events on big FOX with the hope that he can step into the spotlight in front of the casual fan that will watch the card on FOX.
There are so many issues with that thinking including the fact that hr UFC should know that they cannot build stars.
They have tried many times before and they have never been able to find that star as the stars only come to them.
Nobody built Conor McGregor up, he won and talked until he was undeniable and the UFC took advantage of that work when they signed him.
Emmett doesn’t seem to have the make-up to be a major star even if he can be a champion at some point and trying to build him is not going to solve their problems.
If they did want to build him up though pushing him right to the top after one impressive win is a sure-fire way to mess things up.
The UFC’s history books are full of potentially great fighters that were rushed to the forefront of the UFC and couldn’t make it.
This promotion is not one where anyone can walk in and face the top tier as it is a struggle just to face the unknowns for so many fighters.
He has put up five fights in the UFC and has won four of them but never stepped out of the preliminary fights.
That was until he got the call to face Ricardo Lamas on short notice and took full advantage by earning a knockout win against the veteran.
A great win like that usually leads to a spot on the main card where he can be featured as the first main card fight or another co-main event on a fight night card.
That is usually how these things go and Emmett had earned his spot on main cards with a few more fights likely leading to a main event at some point.
The climb is never that easy for any fighter but the grind through the best in the world will ensure you deserve to face the top of the heap.
After that win against Lamas, Emmett is taking a pretty big leap up in competition as he takes on Jeremy Stephens.
The UFC will argue that he already won a co-main event and that Lamas is a veteran like Stephens but the reality is that Stephens is entirely different.
He has been fighting for 13 years with his first UFC fight just over 10 years ago and lately, he has seen a resurgence with two big wins.
There is never a doubt that he is among the best in the world and despite his ups and downs the veteran is one of the top fighters.
After knocking out Doo Ho Choi in his last fight he s gaining steam towards another title shot in his long career.
To face Emmett is not the biggest deal for Stephens as it won’t necessarily add a lot to his run while a win by Emmett could change everything.
Looking at this fight on the surface it seems clear that Emmett is not likely ready for someone at the level of Stephens.
Then again everyone could be proven wrong and Emmett could show that he is up to the competition.
A win will do that and will immediately prove that the UFC knows what they were doing in supporting his run to the top of the division.
It is a risky move by the UFC but ultimately it might not matter regardless of the result with the UFC’s FOX cards not really attracting big numbers and putting an unknown at the top of the card is not going to help.
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