After an impressive display against Josh Emmett at UFC Fight Night last Saturday, Lerone Murphy will now have his sights set on the elite of the Featherweight division as the Englishman chases UFC Gold. Murphy defeated Emmett via unanimous decision, managing to stifle Emmett on the feet and prevent him from landing his notoriously devastating right hand.
Murphy was able to use a combination of strikes to upset the rhythm of Emmett, with Murphy’s kicks on Emmet’s lead leg proving useful in preventing Emmet from applying the forward pressure he is known for, with Murphy also using the body kick more and more as the fight progressed. Murphy proved himself to be defensively savvy throughout this fight, with Emmett having no answers to Murphy’s movement and defensive work. The victory means that Murphy has increased his win streak to eight and remains undefeated as a mixed martial artist with a record of 16-0-1.
Murphy’s next opponent?
Whilst not the most spectacular win for Murphy, the win should move him into the top eight of the Featherweight division, with a handful of potential matchups for the Englishman in the division. Speaking at the UFC Vegas 105 post-fight show, Murphy said “Where’s Brian Ortega ranked? Diego Lopes went up to get a title shot after fighting him. So let’s go, Brian Ortega!” Murphy also highlighted his confidence in a potential matchup with Ortega at the Post Fight Press Conference stating that “I finish him. I get better with every fight, I get more experienced and I get more confident.” Ortega seemingly responded on X with a shushing emoji hinting that he believes he is too good for Murphy.
The fight would make sense for Murphy, with both Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes booked for a title fight next weekend at UFC 314, Yair Rodriguez also scheduled to fight in that card and with Max Holloway seemingly unlikely to fight at featherweight against, Movsar Evloev, Brian Ortega and Arnold Allen are the most likely opponents for Lerone Murphy if he wants to fight an opponent ranked higher than him. For Murphy, a title fight is within touching distance, with the Englishman more than likely one or two wins away from a shot at UFC gold.
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