Don’t sleep for a second when you’re standing in front of Josh Emmett, or he just might put you to sleep.
The Team Alpha Male featherweight took a patient approach in his UFC on ESPN+ 13 main-card bout against Mirsad Bektic.
Then, when Bektic (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) blinked, Emmett (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) struck, using a crisp left to the face to drop Bektic, then finish him.
The time of the TKO stoppage for the hometown favorite at Golden1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. was 4:25 of the opening round.
The bout opened with Emmett staying patient as TriStar’s Bektic pushed the pace and initiated most of the contact over the first half of the round, with Emmett content to throw the occasional counter.
Emmett started to look more comfortable as the round progressed, though, and he stepped up and dropped his foe. Emmett started unleashing punches as Bektic turtled. Then after a brief scramble, Emmett ended up in top position before he finally finished the job.
“I possess a lot of power,” Emmett said. “Any strike, I’m throwing it with bad intentions. Mirsad is a tough competitor. I just had to get in there for myself. I’m a different beast. I have to fuel myself. I felt his strength and knew I had more. I’m coming into my own, I’ve never lost a fight in Sacramento and I was not starting tonight. It was a great night.”
With sixth career KO/TKO victory, Emmett has now won three straight and five of six. Bektic had a four-fight win streak snapped.
The featherweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN+ 13 main card at Golden1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. The event streamed on ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 13 results include:
- Josh Emmett def. Mirsad Bektic via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 4:25
- Karl Roberson def. Wellington Turman via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marvin Vettori def. Cezar Ferreira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Julianna Pena def. Nicco Montano via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
- Ryan Hall def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jonathan Martinez def. Liu Pingyuan via knockout (knee) – Round 3, 3:54
- Brianna Van Buren def. Livinha Souza via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Benito Lopez def. Vince Morales via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 13, check out the MMA Results.
