It was a statement performance for Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Night 241.
The undefeated Brit downed veteran opponent Edson Barboza for the better part of five rounds to earn a lopsided unanimous decision victory in Saturday’s headliner of UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Murphy’s only scare came at the end of the first round when his Brazilian opponent rocked him with an upkick. Fortunately for Murphy, his blow hit the horn and he was able to recover in the corner.
“Honestly, I don’t even know why he hit me,” Murphy said in the postgame press conference. “I looked up at the screen during the round and he caught me with a nice upkick. I think that, along with a gazillion jabs, broke my nose. But hey, good fight. ”
All told, Murphy held a 220-79 advantage in critical strikes. This was the third-largest striking difference for a featherweight bout in UFC history, and his total ranks fourth all-time. “Iceman” also mixed in wrestling to keep Barboza guessing. The only thing Murphy lacked was finishing.
“Edson is an experienced fighter,” Murphy said. “I’ve seen so many times where people charge at him and he hits them with knees and roundhouse kicks. I had to watch my Ps and Qs along the way, but I didn’t let him out there. I always fight until the end. Even though I didn’t get to the finish, it was a great performance.”
There are benefits to gaining five rounds of experience, especially for someone with high aspirations like Murphy.
“Fighting five rounds with Edson was a great experience for me. Of course, I have never fought anyone at that level. Going the extra two rounds was also different for me, and the bank I’m glad I did it,” he said.
“I spoke to [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby is in the back. He said that’s the way to come out on top in this game. You have to fight a 5 round battle. So it’s good to understand that. ”
By adding signature wins to his resume, Murphy believes he has shown he can reach the upper echelons of the UFC featherweight division. And more importantly, he’s still improving as a fighter.
“I can be a champion. I just showed that level,” Murphy said. “I’m only getting better, and that’s the scary thing. This whole camp, I was just working on it a little bit. It was a little scary going into the fight, but it wasn’t perfect yet. I I know he’s still improving a lot. He’s getting better and better. In that game, it looked like he just improved his footwork. My hitting was better.
“I’m getting better, but the limits are still here. I’m still here. I feel like I can improve a lot more than I am now and maybe I can win the title.”
Ideally, Murphy would like to compete on the UFC 304 card in his hometown of Manchester. However, if he can’t clear it by July 27, he will wait for his next opportunity.
“I’m going to take an ice bath every day next week. I’m going to go and rest. I want to make that card,” he said. “If not, there’s no rush. I want to fight there. But if not, I’ll be there to watch the players win. [Leon
Edwards] Win and the rest of you too. It’s a great card. ”
