[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] performed at a pace that was simply too much for Edson Barboza to handle at UFC Fight Night 241.
The featherweight main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas saw “The Miracle” from Manchester, England, rarely give Barboza (24-12 MMA, 18-12 UFC) space to unleash his offense. As a result, Murphy (14-0-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) remained undefeated, winning a unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45).
The fight began with both fighters darting in and out with feints before they began sitting down on hard leg kicks and straight punches upstairs. A kick from Barboza strayed low, pausing the fight for a few seconds, but when the fight resumed, the strikes began to fly more frequently with Barboza controlling the center of the cage. The back-and-forth round concluded with a big moment for Barboza, who landed a flush upkick just before the horn.
THIS UPKICK LANDED FOR BARBOZA 😲 #UFCVegas92 pic.twitter.com/HtNoq5oP0y
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 19, 2024
Murphy recovered during the break and returned to the striking battle with Barboza. After receiving a couple of hard leg kicks, Murphy switched things up with a clean takedown entry, but Barboza denied the fight from hitting the mat.
Murphy immediately turned up the offensive pressure with hard punches, putting Barboza on wobbly legs as he circled outside. Looking for a desperate change of momentum, Barboza slipped as he attempted a spinning attack, leaving an opening for Murphy to take standing back control until Round 2 came to a close.
Barboza began Round 3 controlling the center of the cage and landed a big kick to the body, but Murphy quickly turned the tide and responded with heavy forward pressure. With about 90 seconds to go in Round 3, Murphy had Barboza on wobbly legs again, sensing a finish, although it would not come.
In Round 4, Murphy continued to pick and pop on Barboza, seemingly at will. However, in typical fashion, Barboza still found room to sneak in a couple of powerful kicks as the frame wore on.
Barboza needed to connect with a home run shot, but Murphy did well to not leave him that opening. Instead, Murphy saw his dominant performance through to the final horn, landing 182 significant strikes on Barboza.
The Miracle stays UNDEFEATED 😤@LeroneMurphy comes out on top of this 5 round battle with a UD! #UFCVegas92 pic.twitter.com/Ff9UuqKIfM
— UFC (@ufc) May 19, 2024
Murphy’s first fight of 2024 was a dominant display against one of the most dangerous strikers in the division. He is currently tied for the second-longest active winning streak in the featherweight division alongside the champ, Ilia Topuria.
During his post-fight interview with Paul Felder, Murphy called for anyone in the top 10 after relaying a straightforward message about his future in the division:
“I’m going to change my name back to ‘The Iceman,’ because there’s nothing miraculous about this. I’m meant to be here. Destiny. I’m meant to be here, and I’m going to be champion. Simple.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 241 results include:
- Lerone Murphy def. Edson Barboza via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
- Khaos Williams def. Carlston Harris via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:30
- Themba Gorimbo def. Ramiz Brahimaj via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Adrian Yanez def. Vinicius Salvador via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:47
- Angela Hill def. Luana Pinheiro via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:12
- Tom Nolan def. Victor Martinez via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 3:50
- Oumar Sy def. Tuco Tokkos via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:43
- Melissa Gatto def. Tamires Vidal via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:37
- Abus Magomedov def. Warlley Alves via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Ariane Carnelossi def. Piera Rodriguez via disqualification (intentional head butt) – Round 2, 3:16
- Heili Alateng def. Kleydson Rodrigues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Vanessa Demopoulos def. Emily Ducote via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.