Lerone Murphy explains taking short-notice fight vs. Aaron Pico at UFC 319
Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was originally scheduled to make his octagon debut in this past Saturday's UFC on ABC 9 co-main event against Movsar Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in Abu Dhabi, but the bout was scrapped after Evloev withdrew. Now it's Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) who will fight Pico instead at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 in Chicago.
Not only is the unbeaten featherweight contender putting his ranking on the line, he's doing it on on three weeks' notice.
"The game's the game," Murphy explained on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "From a business perspective, people would probably have said, 'You shouldn't take the fight. Sit out, and wait for a big opportunity.' But, it's like for me, I think this is a big opportunity. I just want to fight. I'm not getting no younger. I want to stay active, I want to fight. Who's to say when everybody else is going to be ready to fight?
"Everybody seems to get surgery and whatnot. So, do I want to sit out until December, November? No, I don't. I'm ready to go now. So, whoever, whenever. If I believe I can be champion, I've got to be able to fight anybody in any given moment, and that's it for me. I know it's a tough fight, I know it's a dangerous fight. Big risk, big reward. I'm happy, and I'm excited."
Murphy has climbed to the No. 6 spot in the UFC's featherweight rankings, which is why he took this fight.
"It's a big opportunity for me, now in the position I'm in, to make some noise and try to get that No. 1 spot," Murphy said. "Because a fighter like me, who's quiet and whatnot, I've got to take these chances. They're not going to give me nothing for free."
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