Ilia Topuria took a step up in competition for his first UFC headliner Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla. – and passed with flying colors.
For 25 minutes, Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) took it to a tough and durable Josh Emmett (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) before he was named victor by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-42, 49-46). The featherweight bout was the UFC on ABC 5 main event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Topuria set the tone early. His approach was methodical, calculated, and explosive. Each combination was thrown with bad intentions. As the fight progressed, the gap between Topuria and Emmett grew.
