Josh Emmett knew from the moment he punched Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296 that the fight was already over.
It was arguably the most memorable moment of the last pay-per-view card of the year when Emmett uncorked a hellacious right hand that collapsed Mitchell and sent him in a heap to the canvas. Replays without the commentary revealed the sickening thud when Emmett’s fist collided with Mitchell’s jaw, which he likened to a home run in baseball or a moonshot on the golf course.
“When I logged in, it was like if you ever played baseball or golf, you had a perfect swing,” Emmett described Wednesday. MMA time. “It’s effortless. You know, the golf ball or the baseball hits it out of the park. This is exactly what happened.
“I hit it so hard, so clean and so crisp, that I could just feel it in my hand, and I saw it fall face down and that was enough. I wasn’t going to throw unnecessary punches. I’ve done it several times. It’s so much sweeter with a no-win knockout.
A split second after the knockout, Emmett began his celebration as medical staff rushed into the cage to check on Mitchell. Not only did Mitchell remain on the ground for several moments, but he appeared to be convulsing as his entire body began to twitch after being hit by the punch.
Emmett admits it was a terrifying moment after realizing what was happening to Mitchell.
“Personally, I don’t have [seen that before]” Emmett said. “I don’t know if he was having a seizure or what. Everything worked out in the end.
“I just wished him the best. When I saw that, I was like, “Damn, this is bad.” Because it was a brutal, brutal knockout, and all I could do was wish him the best and pray that he was okay, and he came back shortly after.
Before he realized what was happening, Emmett let out a roar of emotion after his knockout and celebrated his work in the cage. Once he saw Mitchell on the canvas receiving attention from the cage doctor, Emmett dropped to his knees to keep a close eye on his opponent until he regained consciousness.
Despite the concern he showed, Emmett says he was still criticized online for his immediate celebration, which was really just an outpouring of emotion for a huge knockout victory after suffering back-to-back losses to start 2023.
“I think it’s like I can’t win,” Emmett said. “I received quite a few things. Because I was saying it’s hard to celebrate when I see someone in this position, but everything is happening so fast. Fighters understand that because we go out there, we fight for our life, our livelihood, anything can happen and it’s like these raw emotions. I did what I was supposed to do. I want to have the biggest knockouts, I want to be excited. I went there and delivered and I was excited. I let it all out.
“As I look back and see what he’s going through, I get down on my knees and wish him all the best. He is fine. I am happy with the result. As soon as we step into the octagon, we both try to do the same thing, so I’m going to do that every time I step foot in the octagon.
Of course, Mitchell showed no ill will towards Emmett and actually posted a video praising the Team Alpha Male fighter for not throwing another punch after already being knocked out.
Emmett had nothing but kind words to say about Mitchell as well, even though it seems The ultimate fighter The veteran didn’t remember anything about the knockout until he saw the replay of how it all happened.
“He said he came back while he was in the ambulance going to the hospital,” Emmett revealed. “He doesn’t remember anything. This is scary to happen to you. But the guy’s already back working in Arkansas, he’s already back building his barn. He is one of a kind and a truly good person.
“We are all trying to achieve the same thing, so I wish no harm to my opponents. I hope we all get home to our friends and family unharmed. It was a little difficult because I wanted to make sure he was okay. He was cleared, it was a few fights after us, he was fine. I heard about it from someone on the UFC staff, I just asked. Everything was fine and we had a great evening with our team, friends, family and everyone who came to Vegas.
2023-12-21 16:04:12
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