Josh Emmett Returns from Hiatus, Meets Lerone Murphy in UFC Headliner on April 5

A featherweight clash pitting Josh Emmett against Lerone Murphy is expected to headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s event on April 5.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the bout. The UFC Fight Night event will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a 145-pound tilt between Giga Chikadze and David Onama.

Emmett will be back in action for the first time since December 2023, when he scored a brutal first-round knockout victory against Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296. Prior to that, the Team Alpha Male product had suffered back-to-back losses against current featherweight champ Ilia Topuria and former No. 1 contender Yair Rodriguez. Emmett owns notable victories over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige, Shane Burgos, Michael Johnson and Ricardo Lamas during his Octagon tenure.

Murphy is unbeaten in 16 professional outings, with the lone blemish on his ledger coming via split draw against Zubaira Tukhugov in his Octagon debut at UFC 242. The Stockport, England, native has since won seven straight outings within the Las Vegas-based promotion. His 2024 campaign featured his most significant victories to date: a decision win over Edson Barboza in the UFC Fight Night 241 main event and a three-round verdict against Ige at UFC 308.