Emmett-Johnson, Borg-Pingyuan booked for UFC Philadelphia

Bloodyelbow.com

The UFC’s return to Philadelphia continues to take shape with the addition of two more bookings.

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Josh Emmett meets Michael Johnson in a featherweight bout and Ray Borg faces Liu Pingyuan in a bantamweight bout at UFC on ESPN 2 on March 30. Emmett vs. Johnson was added to the event page on ESPN.com, while Borg vs. Pingyuan was first reported by PhillyVoice.com.

Emmett hasn’t fought since a TKO loss to veteran featherweight Jeremy Stephens in February 2018. Prior to that, the Team Alpha Male product picked up the biggest win of his career with a first-round knockout of former title challenger Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FOX 26 in December 2017.

Johnson dropped down to 145 pounds last year, and has thus far recorded a 2-1 record in the new division. “The Menace” debuted at featherweight in a submission loss to Darren Elkins, but has since won two in a row against Artem Lobov and Andre Fili.

Borg is moving up to the bantamweight division for his fight against Pingyuan. The 25-year-old has had four fights cancelled in a row, including a pivotal pairing against Joseph Benavidez last November. Borg has been dealing with health issues with his son, and has subsequently not fought since a 2017 loss to then-champ Demetrious Johnson. Borg pulled out of the Benavidez fight due to his own medical issues.

Pingyuan debuted in the UFC last summer and is already 2-0 in the promotion. He won his first fight by decision against Damian Stasiak, and followed that performance up with a split decision over Martin Day at UFC Beijing last November.

UFC Philadelphia takes place at Wells Fargo Arena. In the main event, Edson Barboza meets Justin Gaethje in an important lightweight bout.