Josh Emmett returns vs. Lerone Murphy in UFC Fight Night main event in April

Josh Emmett has emerged after more than a year hiatus and is expected to face unbeaten featherweight contender Lerone Murphy in a UFC main event in April.

Emmett (19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who hasn’t seen action since his all-time knockout of Bryce Mitchell in December 2023, is set to make his return to competition against the surging Murphy (15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) in the five-round headliner of UFC Fight Night on April 5, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Broadcast plans for the card have not been announced.

Two people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie of the booking on Wednesday. MMAFighting.com was first to report the news.

Emmett, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, took a nearly 15-month layoff after a busy 2023. He capped off the year with the highlight-reel finish of Mitchell at UFC 296, but prior to that suffered one-sided losses against Ilia Topuria and Yair Rodriguez, the latter of which was an interim title bout. Now the 39-year-old is back, and will try to prove he’s still elite at his age and after all the injuries.

Looking to take Emmett’s spot is the No. 12-ranked Murphy, who called for this matchup after beating Dan Ige at UFC 308 in October. The 33-year-old has yet to taste defeat, and will be keen to continue his climb against another prominent name in the weight class.

The latest lineup for UFC Fight Night on April 5 now includes: