Josh Emmett will make his return to the Octagon when he faces Lerone Murphy in the featherweight main event of UFC on ESPN: Emmett v Murphy, set for the Apex Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 6 April 2025.
Emmett (19-4), a former flyweight interim title contender, was last in action in late 2023 when he defeated Bryce Mitchell via first-round knockout.
The 40-year-old American took a lengthy break from fighting to get back to full fitness and focus, as he looks to make a final push to try and win the flyweight championship.
“I feel like I owe it to my family, friends and coaches,” said Emmett. “I’m 100 per cent now, so I want to make a run at that title, and I’m excited to get back in there. I’m feeling great, and I can’t wait for people to see me perform.
“In the last few years, I’ve been a fraction of myself, but you get these opportunities, and you have to take them, and here we are [...]. Everyone will see the progression that I’ve made in this year lay off.”
Murphy (15-0-1) kept up his unbeaten record as a professional when he defeated Dan Ige via unanimous decision in October of last year.
The 33-year-old Englishman, known as ‘The Miracle’ because he has had a couple of brushes with death – being shot in the face and hit by a car – is looking to win the featherweight title before the year is out.
“I’m looking to bring the title home in 2025, that’s my goal,” said Murphy. "The perfect year would be to have three fights - March, mid-summer [Northern hemisphere summer] and then a title fight at the end of the year.
"I believe I have the skill set to give anybody problems in that division, and I’m getting better daily.”
The rest of the main card features Cortavious Romious v Lee Chang-ho in a bantamweight battle; Nigerian Kennedy Nzechukwu faces Martin Buday in a heavyweight bout; a middleweight match pits Torrez Finney against Robert Valentin; Pat Sabatini takes on Joanderson Brito in the featherweight division; and a middleweight match will see Brad Tavares and Gerald Meerschaert chase victory.
UFC on ESPN: Emmett v Murphy – Main card
- Main event: Featherweight: Josh Emmett v Lerone Murphy
- Featherweight: Pat Sabatini v Joanderson Brito
- Bantamweight: Cortavious Romious v Lee Chang-ho
- Heavyweight: Kennedy Nzechukwu v Martin Buday
- Middleweight: Brad Tavares v Gerald Meerschaert
- Middleweight: Torrez Finney v Robert Valentin