UFC featherweight Lerone Murphy has never tasted defeat in his professional MMA career.
Despite his undefeated record, the Manchester native’s extraordinary talent remains largely under the radar.
Murphy drew on his UFC debut in 2019 in a scrap he probably deserved to win, and has since won seven consecutive fights in Dana White‘s promotion.
This weekend, the 33-year-old headlines UFC Vegas 105 in a top 145 pounds bout against the destructive American powerhouse Josh Emmett.
It is a fight that can boost the No.10 ranked featherweight towards a title shot, considering Emmet is two places above him in the rankings.
Although Murphy is rubbing shoulders with the greatest fighters in the world, he’s not too sure why he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.
“You tell me. I’d love to know,” he told talkSPORT.com ahead of his bout with Emmett.
“Obviously, I think one of the aspects is I’m not a big talker. I’m quiet. I’m quite reserved. I get in there, do my job and that’s it.
“I’m not big on social media and whatnot. Obviously, that has a big part to play in it.
“But I don’t know…all I know is if some of the fighters had the record I had and beat the names I beat, the whole country would be behind them in it.”
UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and top lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett are arguably the biggest British stars in the sport right now.
Murphy has been in the UFC for longer than both of those fighters, and unlike the pair’s six career losses combined, hasn’t been defeated in any of his fights.
Lerone Murphy’s UFC career
Undefeated
W – Dan Ige at UFC 308 in October 2024 via unanimous decision
W – Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night in May 2024 via unanimous decision
W – Josh Culibao at UFC Fight Night in July 2023 via unanimous decision
W – Gabriel Santos at UFC 286 in March 2023 via split decision
W – Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 267 in October 2021 via KO
W – Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Fight Night in January 2021 via unanimous decision
W – Ricardo Ramos at UFC Fight Night in July 2020 via KO
D – Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC 242 in September 2019 via split decision
The Mancunian has a remarkable background too, having bounced back from being shot in the face twice as a youth to become a huge success in the world of fighting, subsequently earning himself a pretty epic nickname along the way.
‘The Miracle’ will have a close eye on Pimblett’s next fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 314 this month, considering the potential ramifications in the main event bout.
The headline act sees Alexander Volkanovski lock horns with Diego Lopes for the featherweight title, which was vacated by Ilia Topuria in February.
Topuria has since moved up to the 155lb division to contest for lightweight gold against current dominant champion Islam Makhachev.
This also left the featherweight division wide open, and Murphy plans on taking full advantage of the opportunity.
“I’ve got a big job in front of me, a big task in front of me,” he added.
GettyMurphy recognises the huge task he has ahead of him[/caption]
“But obviously we know with a win, I’ll be asking for a title shot for sure.
“Ilia Topuria done it and I’ll be 16-0. So I feel like if I go out there and put on a good, solid performance and look championship worthy, then I think the UFC will give it to me.”
Topuria defeated Murphy’s opponent, Emmett, back in June 2023 in just his sixth UFC fight, before stealing the featherweight belt from Volkanovski eight months later in his next bout.
He then defended it against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October, which was the same card Murphy had his last victory on as the Brit survived an early knockdown to outpoint Dan Ige over three rounds.
When asked about who he would prefer to fight for the UFC featherweight title, Murphy had no doubt with his response.
“I would say Volkanovski just because of the name value,” he concluded.
“He’s a legend, and I think if you have Volkanovski on your record, like when you look back on your career, for me, it’s not really about money.
“It’s about status and what I can tell my kids and what I can look back on.
“Like when you get old, all you’ve got is memories, and you’re looking back on what you’ve done.
“To be able to say, ‘I fought Volkanovski,’ would be a big one. I think he gets the job done next weekend.
“So hopefully it’s me versus Volk. But like you said, he’s got a tough matchup. I’ve got a tough matchup. Let’s see what happens.”
Murphy added that he wants to fight twice more after his battle with Emmett at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and admitted he would be ready to go in July again.
He also said a neutral ground like Abu Dhabi in the UAE would be a perfect venue for a fight with Australia’s Volkanovski for the featherweight title.
Murphy also interestingly added that he asked his bosses to fight at UFC London, but was told Emmett did not want to leave the US.
