When all is said and done, Lauren
Murphy’s loss to Jessica
Andrade at UFC 283
could wind up as a leading candidate for 2023 “Beatdown of the
Year” due to its lopsided nature.
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Andrade dominated the flyweight bout, setting a divisional record
with 231 significant strikes landed. The bout grew increasingly
one-sided as time progressed, as the Brazilian punished her
overmatched foe with power punches to the head and crushing kicks
to the legs. On more than one occasion, it seemed as if someone —
Murphy’s corner or referee Osiris Maia — should call off the fight.
Instead, the durable Murphy made it to the final horn, losing by
scorecards of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26.
Murphy made it clear that she was pleased to control her own
destiny in the aftermath of the defeat.
“I’m glad my corner didn’t stop the fight,” Murphy wrote on
Instagram.
[To be honest], I thought the ref was going to stop it in the
second round but the bell rang before he decided to Either way, I
was grateful for the chance to keep fighting. My head and nose will
heal with rest, and my heart will heal with time.”
A former flyweight title challenger, Murphy entered Saturday’s bout
having won six of her last seven appearances. A victory over
Andrade would have kept her among the division’s top contenders,
but it wasn’t meant to be.
“The fight was a beatdown but not the way I imagined it,” Murphy
wrote. “Sometimes s—t goes down and you just gotta learn from it
and get better. Jessica is an insanely tough opponent and I will
learn a lot from her. All these experiences — the good ones and the
bad ones — make me a better athlete and human.”