In just two fights in the UFC’s featherweight division, Josh Emmett made a pretty big name for himself. After a clear-cut decision victory over Felipe Arantes, Emmett knocked out perennial top-15 talent Ricardo Lamas in violent fashion. However, his quick ascension came to a screeching halt at the hands of Jeremy Stephens. 

As Emmett learned, time away from the cage can have its pros and cons. 

“From a personal standpoint, it was a good year,” said Emmett. “But from a competitive standpoint, [it was] probably one of the lows of my MMA career.”

Those low points spawned from a handful of injuries that left Emmett doubting if his career would even continue. 

“I suffered several injuries. It took me a while just to recover and get back to feeling okay,” Emmett said. “At some point, I thought, 'Man, is this ever going to go away? Am I ever going to be able to fight again?”

After all of the symptoms of his numerous injuries subsided, Emmett realized all the good the time away had done for his career. 

“The benefit of that,” he started, always the optimist, “[was] just giving myself 13 months, giving myself the necessary time to recover.”

Emmett said that in the nearly three years he’s been in the UFC, he’s only once felt 100 percent.  

“I’ve been fighting in the UFC injured my whole career except my first fight [against Jon Tuck]," he said. “That was the only time I felt 100 percent." 

Emmett pointed to the Scott Holtzman fight as a prime example of fighting injured. Even though he walked away the winner in that fight, Emmett suffered a separated AC joint in the lead-up. 

“It was borderline grade-three, almost needed surgery,” Emmett explained. “I couldn’t grapple. I couldn’t wrestle.”

This injury, along with issues with his ribs and elbow, have left him feeling like his whole career could have been better. But now fully healed up and ready to go, he’s ready to show Michael Johnson exactly what he can do at UFC on ESPN 2 in Philadelphia.