Josh Emmett Tears ACL in 'Fight of The Year' Candidate Against Shane Burgos

Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger - Zuffa LLC

Josh Emmett's fantastic three-round back-and-forth with fellow featherweight contender, 'Hurricane' Shane Burgos will undeniably go down in division history as one of the best fights the ranks has seen. However, his unanimous decision display has come with a slew of major injuries.

During the initial round, just twenty-seconds in - Team Alpha MMA mainstay, Emmett clutched at his left knee, after he appeared to have hyperextended upon a change in direction. 

Taking to his social media, the 35-year-old revealed he suffered a "complete ACL tear, MCL Sprain with partial tearing, Bakers cyst rupture, Focal impact fracture of femur on the lateral, and Chondral defect (cartilage) on tibia laterally matching impact area". 

Most people would of quit or looked for a way out! I will NEVER QUIT!

1 Complete ACL tear
2 MCL Sprain with partial tearing
3 Bakers cyst rupture
4 Focal impact fracture of
femur on the lateral
5 Chondral defect (cartilage) on tibia laterally matching impact area #UFCVegas3

— Josh Emmett (@JoshEmmettUFC) June 23, 2020

Over three rounds, Emmett managed to score two separate knockdowns and a single takedown - which proved to be enough to secure a unanimous judging in a hugely-competitive meeting over fifteen minutes. Finding his target early, and often - New York native Burgos landed an incredible forty separate leg kicks to both the inside, outside and calf of Emmett's left leg - as well as scoring more total strikes.

In a statement released to MMA Fighting, Emmett's manager, Jennifer Goldstein revealed that her client could possibly face a spell of up to nine months on the sidelines, as he rehabilitates his injuries. At the moment, surgery to repair the complete tear is not set in stone, however.

The judging triumph marked Emmett's third consecutive victory - adding to a highlight-reel knockout of former lightweight division mainstay, Michael 'The Menace' Johnson, as well as a strikes stoppage of Mirsad Bektić last July at UFC Fight Night Sacramento.