Lerone Murphy is on the cusp of stardom and could break into the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight division after dismantling the always dangerous Edson Barboza at UFC Apex on Saturday. Murphy dominated one of the best strikers in the promotion’s history from start to finish en route to a unanimous decision victory (49-46, 50-45, 50-45) over the 38-year-old Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 241. main event.
Murphy (14-0-1) landed a jab on Barboza and defeated him despite receiving a bone-crushing leg kick. He stumbled Barboza multiple times during the match, but carefully stuck to his game plan and finished off his opponent in the clinch when the moment came. Barboza continued to aim for the knockout, but Murphy refused to give him a chance. The Manchester Top Team product’s lateral movement and piston-like jab had Barboza eating leather all night. The win gives Murphy the biggest win of his career and could set him up against a top-10 featherweight in his next fight. This was Barboza’s 30th appearance in the UFC (24 wins, 12 losses), and his win streak ended at two.
Karin Williams once again lived up to the ominous nickname of “Chaos” after ejecting Carlston Harris in the first round (1:30) of a welterweight tilt. Williams, a Detroit native, cracked Harris with a right hand, and Tommy Hearns was all smiles. Williams (15-3) has won his second straight fight since a controversial loss to Randy Brown. With nine knockouts, he is quickly becoming one of the most explosive welterweights on the roster. The loss ended Harris (19-6)’s modest two-game winning streak.
Themba Golimbo was not satisfied with his performance, but it was more than enough to score a clear unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) over Ramiz Brahimaj in a welterweight bout. was. Golimbo (13-4) controlled Brahimaj through the final 15 minutes and won his third straight match. While the fight didn’t live up to the hype of Golimbo defeating Pete Rodriguez by first-round TKO, it showed his versatility on the mat.
Adrian Yanez reminded everyone why he is one of the most explosive bantamweights in the UFC by defeating Vinicius Salvador by first-round TKO (2 minutes, 47 seconds). After back-to-back stoppage losses, the hype for the hard-hitting Texan died down, but Salvador was a tailor-made opponent who quickly realized he lacked the firepower to carry him in the pocket. Salvador realized he was likely going out with a shield and opened up with him until Yanez was taken down with a wicked right hand. Yanez (17-5) closed out the show with a series of shots that forced Chris Togononi to call the game.
Until Saturday, strawweight mainstay Angela Hill had never submitted an opponent in her 30-fight career. The 39-year-old continued to push back the clock on her after defeating Luana Pinheiro in her second round, skyrocketing her ranking. After outmaneuvering Pinheiro throughout the first period, Hill stuffed Pinheiro with a missed takedown in the second period before she set up a guillotine to end the match. Hill pulled her guard at the 4:12 mark of the second round and landed a tight squeeze to secure her victory.
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