It was a statement-making performance for Lerone
Murphy at UFC
Fight Night 241.
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The unbeaten Brit battered veteran foe Edson
Barboza for the better part of five rounds, earning a lopsided
unanimous decision triumph in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex
in Las Vegas. About the only scare that Murphy had occurred at the
end of Round 1, when his Brazilian opponent rocked him with an
upkick. Fortunately for Murphy, the blow landed at the horn, and he
was able to regain his bearings in the corner.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know what he hit me with,” Murphy said
at the post-fight press conference. “I looked up at the screen
during the round and he caught me with a good upkick. I think that
is what busted my nose, along with a hundred million jabs. But
yeah, good fight.”
When all was said and done, Murphy held a 220-to-79 advantage in
significant strikes. It was the third largest striking differential
for a featherweight fight in UFC history, and his total was the
fourth most all-time. “The Iceman” also mixed in wrestling to keep
Barboza guessing. About the only thing missing for Murphy was a
finish.
“Edson is an experienced fighter,” Murphy said. “You see a lot of
times people have rushed in, he hits you with knees, spinning
kicks. I have to watch my Ps and Qs on the way in. But I did try to
get him out of there. I always fight to finish. I just couldn’t get
the finish, but it was a great performance anyway.”
There are benefits to getting a five-round experience, particularly
for someone with lofty aspirations such as Murphy.
“Going five rounds with Edson is a big experience for me.
Obviously, I’ve not fought nobody at that level. Doing an extra two
rounds, as well, was different for me and I’m glad I got to bank
them,” he said.
“I spoke to [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby in the back, as well. He
said that’s the way to get to the top in it: You need to fight
five-round fights. So it’s good to get that under my belt.”
By adding a signature victory to his resume, Murphy believes he has
shown that he can reach the upper echelon of the UFC’s
featherweight division. And, more importantly, he’s still
progressing as a fighter.
“I can be champion. I’ve shown that level now,” Murphy said. “I’m
only getting better. That’s the scary thing. This whole camp, I was
working on just a few little bits. I was kind of, not scared going
into the fight, but I didn’t have that perfected yet. I know I’m
still growing at a massive rate. I’m going to get better and
better. Even just my footwork looked better in that fight. My
striking was better.
“I’m improving and my ceiling is still here. I’m still here. I feel
like I can improve much better than I am already and I could get
that title.”
Ideally, Murphy would like to compete on the UFC 304
card in his hometown of Manchester. However, if he is unable to be
cleared in time for July 27, he’ll wait for his next
opportunity.
“I’m going to jump in an ice bath every day next week. I’m going to
go and rest up. I want to make that card,” he said. “There’s no
rush, if not. I’d love to fight on there. But if not, I’ll be there
in attendance to watch the guys win, to watch [Leon
Edwards] win, and all the rest of the guys. It’s a great card.”