Josh Emmett-Ilia Topuria Clash to Headline UFC Fight Night Card on June 17

A torch may be passed atop the Ultimate Fighting Championship event in mid-June.

On Wednesday, KOlmenero first reported on Twitter that Josh Emmett (18-3) vs. Ilia Topuria (13-0) would headline the UFC Fight Night event on June 17. The news of this featherweight main attraction has been subsequently confirmed by other outlets on Thursday, but the location and venue have not yet been made public. The only two other bouts on the billing thus far come at flyweight, when Alessandro Costa faces Jimmy Flick and Tereza Bleda takes on Gabriella Fernandes.

Emmett found his five-fight win streak come to a crashing halt in February when he vied for an interim featherweight strap against Yair Rodriguez. After getting battered on the feet for the good part of two rounds, Emmett succumbed to a triangle choke from the Mexican competitor to suffer his first career submission defeat. That loss for the 38-year-old followed wins over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige and Shane Burgos as he worked his way back up the division’s ranks. The Team Alpha Male product has never lost two fights in a row.

Unbeaten Topuria has surged through his opposition since making his promotional debut in 2020. With five wins inside the Octagon under his belt over increasingly difficult competition, the Georgian contender born in Germany and currently living in Spain most recently handed Bryce Mitchell his first ever loss. In their pairing, the 26-year-old Topuria outgrappled the submission specialist to submit “Thug Nasty” with an arm-triangle choke. As a pro, Topuria has performed 12 finishes across his 13 wins, needing no more than 9:10 to get the job done in any of his stoppages.