Poirier Chokes Out Chandler at UFC 281, Earns Fight of the Night nod
By Zach Arnold — MMAJunkie.com
Aug 14, 2014; Auburn Hills, Mich., USA; Josh Emmett (C) celebrates in the ring before the main event between lightweight contender Michael Chandler (10-0) and top contender Johny Hendricks (9-0) at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale at The Little Theater at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Emmett came up short in his much-anticipated return to the Octagon from a two-year hiatus while also earning a split decision win over former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in December.
The 25-year-old fighter suffered some bad luck in his bout with Jones, who got in a little too much elbow to the fence and landed some hard shots along the way. This time, he landed right on Emmett’s chin and ended up with a TKO win in the first round.
Emmett lost to Chandler at UFC 281 on Saturday night, which earned him a Fight of the Night bonus on the judges’ decision. Emmett’s night didn’t end there, though.
In the process of Emmett’s fight against Chandler, the former WEC champion also earned a second Fight of the Night bonus with a first-round knock-down win over fellow challenger Chris Weidman. And by the end of his fight with Weidman, the 29-year-old fighter landed a series of ground-and-pound strikes to earn another technical submission win.
UFC 281 proved to be Emmett’s most impressive performance since his last fight on December 1, 2013. The knockout loss to Jones came less than two months after the fighter’s debut in the UFC. Emmett said he didn’t think much of his first fight with Jones back in February 2013.
“I thought I lost by a points, maybe even a split decision. That was the only thing I could go by at the time,” he said. “But I kind of thought that it was a win, which is