Nate Landwehr knew three issues had been sure to occur as soon as the UFC booked him in opposition to Jamall Emmers for a featherweight tilt at UFC Atlantic Metropolis.
One, it wasn’t going to be boring.
Two, it wasn’t going to be straightforward.
And three, it was solely a matter of time earlier than Emmers wilted beneath the unrelenting stress that has turned Landwehr into such a fan favourite over his eight-fight UFC run.
“Man, I knew watching him,” Landwehr mentioned Monday on The MMA Hour. “His report mentioned he was 3-3 [in UFC], however I believe he beat Giga [Chikadze] and I believe he beat the [Jack] Jenkins man, so I used to be feeling like he solely had misplaced one combat resulting from that [Pat Sabatini] heel hook. So I really feel like talent-wise, he ought to’ve been perhaps undefeated within the UFC, however mentally I knew that we weren’t on the identical stage. I used to be going to interrupt him, it doesn’t matter what.
“It’s simply in my blood, man. I’m a fighter’s fighter. I present as much as combat these fights. That is what I do. Now I’m 4 [wins] out of 5 in these final ones, 4 bonuses.”
Together with his bombastic post-fight interviews and kill-or-be-killed preventing fashion, Landwehr, 35, continues to cement himself as must-see leisure within the UFC’s 145-pound division. His newest handiwork in opposition to Emmers was no totally different. After getting rocked early, Landwehr battled again and sparked out Emmers with a flurry of punches within the last seconds of the opening spherical to safe the primary knockout win of his already electrical UFC run.
In doing so, Landwehr rebounded from a disappointing latest exhibiting in opposition to Dan Ige and put himself again on the trail towards featherweight competition.
“Individuals don’t like an excessive amount of straightforward wins. what I imply? Individuals hate when it’s actual straightforward,” Landwehr mentioned with amusing. “So him beating me up just a little bit was like, wow, you will get behind that. Coming again, you understand everyone likes to little comeback story.
“Mentally, I believe simply the bounce again from shedding is the toughest factor to do. However for me, it’s at all times been actual easy, as a result of I’m about that life. It’s at all times simply been in me, man. I’m at all times about that, simply the subsequent one is the perfect one, man. For me, rising up, I used to be quick sufficient however I wasn’t the quickest, I used to be sturdy sufficient however not the strongest. I used to be by no means in a position to depend on [physical gifts]. That’s why I inform all my buddies, being good don’t get the job finished. You might be the higher than the individual you’re preventing, however that don’t imply s*** while you get in there. You’ve obtained to go on the market and get that, make that occur.”
Sporting a contemporary black eye and gnarly set of stitches above his left forehead, Landwehr mentioned he hoped to leap again into the fray round July or August and wished to make up for misplaced time after sidelining himself since June 2023 because of the start of his first son. He additionally hoped his thrilling win over Emmers was sufficient to persuade UFC matchmakers to provide him one other shot at breaking into the featherweight rankings after stumbling in his probability in opposition to Ige.
“It’s loopy to consider a super opponent the best way it flows, as a result of the individual you would possibly need to combat, they may go on the market and get beat up, and the individual you ain’t by no means considered would possibly stand up actual fast,” Landwehr mentioned. “Like, take a look at that Diego Lopes. Two years in the past, who was he? Now he’s like, wow. So that you by no means know who’s going to shine. In the event you’ve obtained to take two months off, you by no means know who’s going to be that man.
“So if the UFC needs, I’d love one other crack on the high 15. I fell quick in opposition to Dan Ige, however take away these two knockdowns, it was a reasonably shut combat.”
