Lerone Murphy believes he has found a direct route to a title opportunity, and he`s taking inspiration from the fighter challenging for the belt at UFC 314 to make it happen.
After securing a unanimous decision victory against Josh Emmett in the main event of UFC Vegas 105, the undefeated British featherweight has set his sights on Brian Ortega as his next opponent. Murphy clarified that this isn`t due to any personal animosity, but rather because he sees a parallel with Diego Lopes, who fought Ortega before earning his title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. Murphy wants to follow a similar trajectory.
“It`s a fight I`ve been considering for some time,” Murphy mentioned at the UFC Vegas 105 post-fight press conference regarding a potential matchup with Ortega. “Seeing Diego Lopes get a title shot after defeating him shows me a viable path, and it`s one I want to emulate. I also fought Dan Ige, just like Lopes did. So, I`m looking for a fight with someone of that caliber.”
Following his win on Saturday, Murphy immediately expressed his desire to face any opponent ranked in the top 5 of the featherweight division as he seeks to get closer to challenging for the title.
With an unblemished record of 16-0-1, Murphy possesses the credentials to warrant high-profile fights, although he openly admits his lack of finishes is a source of some frustration. His recent victory over Emmett marks the seventh decision win out of nine UFC bouts for the 33-year-old fighter from Manchester.
“The fight played out exactly as planned,” Murphy explained regarding his victory. “The strategy was to pick him off from a distance and counter him as he moved in. Naturally, I was aiming for a finish, but it just didn`t materialize this time.”
“Regardless, it was a dominant performance. We are focused on securing finishes, accumulating wins, and ultimately working towards that title shot.”
Despite wanting to finish Emmett before the final bell, Murphy was aware of the danger of engaging in close-quarters combat with such a powerful striker. Therefore, constant movement and utilizing strikes from the outside were key components of Murphy`s strategy, which ultimately proved successful.
“I absorbed a few blows on my gloves, but nothing truly significant landed,” Murphy stated. “I was well aware of his knockout power; he has knocked out some very good fighters. For me, the priority was to stay defensively sound and minimize risks.”
While all judges scored the fight in Murphy`s favor, he expressed surprise that two judges awarded Emmett two rounds in the five-round contest. Despite the favorable outcome, Murphy struggled to understand how those judges could justify giving Emmett any rounds.
“I believe I clearly won four rounds,” Murphy stated. “If he won a round, it might have been when I threw a kick and he briefly gained top position, but I don`t think he landed any significant strikes throughout the fight. Perhaps he was slightly more active in one round, and that was it.”
Wesley Dunham