Josh Emmett targets lightweight return after featherweight cut costs him five of last six fights

Josh Emmett has admitted the featherweight weight cut is damaging his performances and says he expects to compete at lightweight before the end of 2025, ending an eight-year commitment to the 145-pound division.

The 41-year-old dropped to featherweight in 2017 after beginning his UFC career at 155 pounds. He rose as high as an interim title shot against Yair Rodriguez — a fight he lost by submission — but has since fallen to five defeats in his last six outings, including a current three-fight losing streak.

“I’ll definitely fight before the end of the year,” Emmett told MMAFighting. “I’m enjoying some things that I’ve wanted to do for a while, so I’m doing that right now. Maybe anywhere from October to early December, and I might go back up to 155. Just that the cut to ‘45 is just crazy.”

Emmett was candid about the physical toll the cut is taking at this stage of his career. “It’s so hard, and I think it is affecting my performances,” he said. “I think for my next fight, you guys will see me back at lightweight. I’m a fan of the sport, and I think the average male size is anyone from the featherweight to the lightweight, so I feel like those are the most competitive divisions.”

Despite his recent run of losses, Emmett’s featherweight résumé includes notable victories over Bryce Mitchell, Dan Ige, and Calvin Kattar — wins that established him as one of the division’s more dangerous strikers during his peak years.

A return to lightweight would represent a significant shift in the final chapter of his career, placing him in a stacked 155-pound division where he has not competed since before his 2017 weight-class change.