UFC Fight Night Emmett vs. Murphy 4/5/25

“It’s a massive challenge,” Emmett told reporters at the UFC Vegas 105 media day . “Biggest challenge of my career so far, but I’m ready for that and I’ve trained hard for this. So the outcome will be the outcome. That’s it. Simple as that. I didn’t ask for this fight for no reason. I asked for the fight because I know Josh Emmett’s a warrior. I know how good he is and I know that’ll bring the best out of me. Ilia Topuria went on to fight for the title after Josh Emmett, so for me, this is a No. 1 contender fight,” Murphy said. “I feel like behind Lopes and Volkanovski, who are fighting the week after, I think this is the best fight in the division. For me, this is the No. 1 contender fight. I’m looking forward to it.” Murphy is the moneyline betting favorite and that feels appropriate, but -325 is a little on the generous side when you consider Emmett's experience, as well as his power. Emmett’s layoff is a big issue coming into this fight. He’s been inactive since melting Bryce Mitchell in late 2023, whereas Murphy is just a few months removed from taking down Ige. It’s hard to give Emmett anything more than a puncher’s chance here and the safe pick is Murphy on the cards, which hopefully doesn't translate to a boring fight.

Pat Sabatini first made a name for himself with some spectacular finishes on the regional circuit, which includes a memorable run for Cage Fury Fighting Championships. Sabatini was able to parlay that success into a UFC contract and the results speak for themselves. The Philadelphian is 6-2 over the last four years with three slick submissions and one “Performance of the Night” bonus. Sabatini would probably be ranked in the Top 10 of the featherweight division; but in his one attempt to grab a rung on the official 145-pound ladder, he got stopped by Brazilian wunderkind Diego Lopes. Undaunted, the former CFFC featherweight champion roared back with a first-round submission over Jonathan Pearce at UFC Vegas 98 in what served as another showcase for his impressive grappling skills.

Skills that will no doubt be put to the test in tomorrow night’s showdown. “Not going to lie, when I saw co-main event, I definitely got hyped up for it,” Sabatini told reporters at the UFC Vegas 105 media day. “Just one more step closer to the top. Let’s keep climbing. Definitely a tough matchup. I think a lot of people would look at this like, ‘Wow, this guy is a tough matchup for me.’ But I kind of look at it the opposite way: I think I’m the tough matchup. [Teammate] Sean (Brady) set a good tone a couple of weeks ago against Leon. I’m looking to keep the ball rolling.”