UFC featherweight Lerone Murphy extended his division-best winning streak to eight on Saturday with a unanimous decision over Josh Emmett.
The 145-pound contest headlined UFC Fight Night inside the Apex in Las Vegas. It was Murphy’s second opportunity in a UFC main event, and the British contender turned in a very technically sound performance. He did well controlling the striking range all night, while showcasing solid defensive wrestling.
All three judges scored it for Murphy (16-0-1): 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.
“Obviously, I want that title shot, but give me anything in the top five or top three,” Murphy said. “I’ll fight again in July. I just want to keep this train going. I want to stay active, have two more fights this year.”
Going into Saturday, Murphy was the UFC’s No. 10-ranked featherweight, and Emmett was ranked No. 7. Murphy’s active winning streak of eight is matched only by No. 4-ranked Movsar Evloev, who is also undefeated.
For Emmett (19-5), it was his first appearance in 16 months. The 40-year-old veteran wanted Saturday to serve as a crucial step in what he admitted is likely his final run at a UFC championship. He pursued Murphy with his patented right hand throughout all five rounds, but couldn’t quite find the knockout shot. He taunted and challenged Murphy to stand with him in the final round, but Murphy wouldn’t oblige.
Lerone Murphy stretched his winning streak to eight and said he wants a top-five or top-three fighter next. Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Murphy’s feints and lateral movement proved to be too much for Emmett, as he outlanded him 87-45 in total strikes. He staggered Emmett with a left hand in the fifth and denied him any real offense on the ground. Emmett was successful on 4 of 11 takedown attempts, but he struggled to keep Murphy on the ground and expended a lot of effort trying to do so.
“I had to fight a certain fight, I had to find my game,” Murphy said. “He’s a dangerous fighter. Everybody knows he has one-punch knockout power. I couldn’t make any mistakes. It was an intelligent performance. He didn’t catch me with anything clean. I was sound defensively, my wrestling was good, I dropped him with a left hand, nice elbows.”
Saturday arguably marks the biggest win of Murphy’s career, as he adds Emmett’s name to a resume that includes Dan Ige and Edson Barboza in his two previous fights.
Emmett falls to 1-3 in his past four appearances. He fought Yair Rodriguez for an interim championship in February 2023 and came up short via submission in the second round. He also dropped a five-round decision to former champion Ilia Topuria in June 2023
