It wasn’t the opponent she expected at
UFC 254, but Lauren
Murphy made the most of what could have been a tricky situation
against short-notice replacement Liliya
Shakirova on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
Originally slated to face fellow Top 10 flyweight Cynthia
Calvillo, Murphy was forced to change course when a positive
COVID-19 test forced Calvillo off the card late last week. With not
much to gain against a relatively unheralded foe, Murphy scored the
first submission victory of her pro career, tapping out Shakirova
with a rear-naked choke at the 3:31 mark of Round 2.
“It feels great. My confidence is probably the No. 1 thing that
I’ve improved, my striking is the second thing that I’ve improved
the most,” Murphy said. “Just going through the process and staying
calm has been huge. I’ve gotten a ton of help; it takes a village
to make a fighter.
“I utilize the best of the best in every aspect. I have the best
sports psychologist, the best nutritionist, the best strength and
conditioning. I have the best striking coaches, the best grappling
coaches. Literally, I hand-picked a team to be around me that is
the best of the best, and I think it’s showing.”
After struggling to losses in three of her first four UFC
appearances, Murphy is currently on a four-bout winning streak that
includes notable triumphs over flyweight contenders such as
Roxanne
Modafferi and Andrea
Lee.
Still, Murphy believes she is an underappreciated commodity at 125
pounds.
“Hopefully everyone will stop overlooking me,” Murphy said. “Almost
my whole career, I’ve been the underdog, people have looked past me
and I think that’s going to stop now. I’ve really grown into myself
as an athlete, I’m a veteran in this game. I’ve seen it all, I’ve
done it all and I think people are not going to look past me
anymore.”
Rather than being rebooked against Calvillo, Murphy believes she
has done enough to earn a flyweight title shot in her next Octagon
appearance. That might not come until next year, as reigning
champion Valentina
Shevchenko is slated to defend her crown against Jennifer
Maia at UFC 255 on Nov. 21.
“I want a title shot next. I want a shot at the champion, whoever
that may be,” Murphy said. “I yelled at the media to stop
overlooking me. Stop overlooking me, I’m ranked No. 5 right now,
what is that?”