LAS VEGAS – Shane Burgos knows what he needs to do as he looks to catapult himself to the upper echelon of the UFC’s featherweight division.
Burgos (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) faces Josh Emmett in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 11 this Saturday looking to make it four wins in a row.
Speaking to reporters Thursday in a virtual media day session, Burgos admitted a decisive victory over Emmett (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) should earn him a shot against Top 5 opposition for his next fight. It means “Hurricane” is targeting not just a win, but a finish, at the UFC Apex.
“Yeah it definitely could (earn me a Top 5 fight),” Burgos admitted. “I gotta go out there and not just win though, like I’ve been saying all week. … I gotta go out there and put a stamp on this one. I gotta make a statement. As corny and cliché as it sounds, I gotta go out there not just beat Josh Emmett. … I gotta finish him.”
Since dropping down to featherweight, Emmett has scored eight knockdowns in his past five fights. Combine that with Burgos’ 7.09 significant strikes per minute – the highest rate in divisional history – and the signs are good for an action-packed matchup between two 145-pounders looking to break their way into title contention.
To hear more from Burgos, check out the video above.
