[autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag]’s move to Houston keeps paying off.
The former Invicta FC champion picked up a split decision win over [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] at Saturday’s UFC 247 for her second win in a row. The judges scoring octagon side had the bout 28-29, 29-28, 30-27 for Murphy.
It was a very close contest that had fans split in the end.
Both Murphy (12-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Lee (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) threw down in every round of an action packed back-and-forth battle. Lee appeared to land the better shots, but Murphy did damage, as well.
Rounds 1 and 2 were similar. Both fighters slugged it out, but Murphy managed to score a takedown in the final seconds of each round, perhaps giving her the edge in the first 10 minutes of the fight.
The third round was a bit different than the first two. Lee seemed to be in control on the feet, picking apart Murphy with varied attacks to the head, body and legs. Halfway through the round, Murphy fell after a failed head kick, and Lee managed to get a front headlock and threatened with an anaconda choke.
Murphy managed to service the choke and finish on top position. However, Murphy didn’t control the position, as Lee was able to cause a scramble and get on her feet. From that point on, Lee appeared to get the best of the striking exchanges, even stunning Murphy with a body shot in the final seconds of the round.
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After the decision was read, Muphy called out fellow veteran Roxanne Modafferi, asking for the fight three months down the line. Muphy is now 2-0 since switching camps from the The MMA Lab in Arizona to Houston.
Meanwhile, Lee is now on a two-fight skid after dropping split decisions to Joanne Calderwood and now Murphy.
The women’s flyweight bout was part of the UFC 247 preliminary card at Toyota Center in Houston. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 247 results include:
- Lauren Murphy def. Andrea Lee via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Khaos Williams def. Alex Morono via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:27
- Mario Bautista def. Miles Johns via TKO (flying knee, punches) – Round 2, 1:41
- Journey Newson def. Domingo Pilarte via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:38
- Andre Ewell def. Jonathan Martinez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Youssef Zalal def. Austin Lingo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)