The highly anticipated last UFC PPV of 2023 is just around the corner. UFC 296 is set to take place on December 16, 2023, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the main event of the prelims card, featherweight Josh Emmett was supposed to fight Giga Chikadze, but the latter had to withdraw due to an injury. However, the No. 10-ranked prospect has now accepted to be the replacement for Giga.
Josh Emmett has been an important part of the UFC featherweight division for a while now. The No. 6-ranked fighter is known for his unreal knockout power and resiliency. He was on a 5-fight win streak before losing back-to-back fights to Yair Rodriguez and Ilia Topuria in 2023. Emmett will be looking to get back in the win column, but it will not be easy at all.
HUGE REPLACEMENT FIGHT FOR #UFC296
Josh Emmett vs Bryce Mitchell
UFC 296 | Las Vegas | December 16first source via @MagicM_MMABets
confirmed by UFC pic.twitter.com/HWY9sYT1J1— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) December 6, 2023
Bryce Mitchell is one of the most promising prospects in the featherweight division. The 29-year-old fighter is known for his suffocating grappling and submission skills. ‘Thug Nasty’ was looking like an unstoppable force until his match at UFC 282 against Ilia Topuria. He suffered his first career loss against Topuria via an arm-triangle choke.
However, he bounced back with a solid win over UFC veteran Dan Ige. Now he will be looking to stop another veteran, Josh Emmett. This will be an interesting matchup between a powerful striker and a skilled wrestler. Let’s see who takes away the victory.
Bryce Mitchell warns Josh Emmett ahead of their upcoming match at UFC 296
Bryce Mitchell has already issued a warning to his opponent, Josh Emmett, through the social media platform ‘X’. It looks like ‘Thug Nasty’ is ready to prove himself with an impressive short-notice victory over Emmett. In his recent post on ‘X’, he shared a poster of the two fighters, with the news about Mitchell accepting the fight at the bottom.
However, the most interesting part of the post was the caption written by Mitchell. The caption says, “Stay ready”. and it looks like a warning shot towards the featherweight veteran. Furthermore, the most interesting part about this matchup is that both of their last losses were against Ilia Topuria, who will be challenging for the featherweight strap at UFC 298.
Stay ready. 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/TT5qYmRaP9
— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) December 7, 2023
This match can determine the next contender for the featherweight belt. If either Emmett or Mitchell can finish the fight impressively, they will surely be next in line to fight the featherweight champion. However, given the resiliency of the two, the fight would likely come to a decision. In conclusion, it is a very risky decision made by Bryce, but if he wins, the reward will be worth the risk.
Who will win the match between Josh Emmett and Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296? Let us know in the comments section.