It wasn't a surprise that the Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos co-main event Saturday was an entertaining slugfest, but even with high expectations, the bout managed to put fellow UFC fighters in awe.
Francis Ngannou called it the fight of the night, but Cody Garbrandt and Henry Cejudo went even further, calling it a fight-of-the-year candidate.
It will go in the record books as a win by unanimous decision for Emmett, but nobody was calling Burgos a loser after the Fight Night at the UFC's Apex facility in Las Vegas.
"I said I'm willing to go through anything just to get my hand raised, and I mean it," Emmett said. "I think a lot of people in my position, what I just experienced, would have just quit. In the first like 45 seconds, I think I blew my ACL and it was just giving out, I've never experienced anything like that. It was painful, but the first thing in my mind was I just have to adapt to it and fight on one leg."
Fight of the year candidate. Beautiful to see these two artists go to work in MY weight class #UFCVegas3
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) June 21, 2020
Wow!!! @JoshEmmettUFC @HurricaneShaneB FOY 💯💯
— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) June 21, 2020
Is it just me or are the apex fights the best fights in @ufc history?
— Cody Stamann (@CodyStamann) June 21, 2020
No loser in that fight, fight fans! #UFCVegas3
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) June 21, 2020
Ooohhhhhh sheeeeeesh these men are Zombies 🔥🔥🔥 #UFCVegas3
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) June 21, 2020
Fight of the night! This Emmet is a Warrior .#UFCVegas3
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) June 21, 2020
You can hear the wind on emmetts punches #UFCVegas3
— Jamahal Hill UFC (@JamahalH) June 21, 2020
This fight is living up to everything I thought it would be. A fight with either one of them would be 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 #UFCVegas3
— Sodiq Yusuff (@Super_Sodiq) June 21, 2020
Wow amazing fight! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 pay this guys @danawhite 💰 50gs FOTN #UFCVegas3
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) June 21, 2020
— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) June 21, 2020
Warriors. So amazing! #UFCVegas3
— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) June 21, 2020
That was insane! Crazy! 🤩#UFCVegas3
— Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori) June 21, 2020
