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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC 319 results: Lerone Murphy spins, flattens Aaron Pico with elbow, calls for title shot
Lerone Murphy may be undeniable after a highlight-reel knockout of Aaron Pico. The co-main event of UFC 319 saw the undefeated Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC) take on UFC newcomer Pico (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC). The featherweight bout was discussed as being a potential title eliminator to face Alexander Volkanovski. Murphy may have solidified that shot by knocking out Pico at 3:21 of the opening round. Pico put heavy pressure on Murphy right out of the gate, landing clean punches in the opening exchange. After a brief clinch, Pico got right back in Murphy's face and landed a hard shot to the body. Murphy answered with a hard short elbow. Pico then went to his wrestling game, but Murphy did well to work up without much issue. Back in space, Murphy landed a beautiful knee to the body as Pico closed in. A moment later, a bomb of a spinning elbow detonated on the chin of Pico. It was a perfectly-timed strike from Murphy that sent Pico crumbling to the canvas. Murphy touched him with one more punch, but he was already out cold. During his post-fight interview, Murphy said that was the moment he needed to solidify a title shot. Joe Rogan delivered the news in the moment that secured a Performance of the Night bonus. It didn't take long for Volkanovski to acknowledge the performance, stating on X that he would see Murphy in December. With the win, Murphy remains undefeated as he forges a path toward the top of the division. Last year, he beat Dan Ige and Josh Emmett unanimously on the scorecards. "The Miracle" is currently ranked No. 6 by the promotion in the featherweight division. On the other side, the highly-touted Bellator-PFL product Pico drops his UFC debut, ending a three-fight winning streak. His run leading up to his debut consisted of a unanimous decision over James Gonzalez and back-to-back first-round finishes of Pedro Carvalho and Henry Corrales. Up-to-the-minute UFC 319 results include:
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Lerone Murphy views Aaron Pico UFC 319 co-main event at No. 1 contender fight
CHICAGO – Lerone Murphy views his upcoming fight against UFC newcomer Aaron Pico as a title eliminator. The bout serves as the co-feature of UFC 319 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) at United Center, and Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) is taking it as if he's fighting a top 5 opponent, even though Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has never fought in the promotion. "I don't think rankings have anything to do with it," Murphy told reporters at media day. "Most of the time, they don't mean anything. So, everybody knows his level in the world, and he's got a big name, so for me, he's ranked No. 3, or wherever. That's how I'm looking at it. He's a solid opponent and a great matchup." Pico is the latest big name to come from the Bellator-PFL banner. Others who recently made the same move such as Patricio Freire and Patchy Mix, did not have success in their debuts. The infamous "octagon jitters" may have been a factor in their UFC debut setbacks, but Murphy isn't counting on that being the case with Pico. "Everybody is different, everybody handles pressure differently as well," Murphy said. "So, I'm not banking on that to happen, but it's a possibility. This is the biggest show in the world, and what an arena to make your debut. So yeah, that could play a factor. It could be a factor. This is the place to be, the UFC. "... You go back to the likes of Patchy Mix and stuff like that, I just think that comes down to matchup. Also, these other guys that have come over that have not performed may not have been in their prime. I think Aaron Pico's in his prime. So, I expect to see the best version of him." With a win, Murphy will have secured his second win in 2025, and his ninth overall under the UFC banner. Currently ranked No. 6 by the promotion in the featherweight division, Murphy believes a win here will elevate him to a shot against Alexander Volkanovski, because Pico was set to fight No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev before his withdrawal. "Beating Aaron Pico is going to put me in that No. 1 contender spot," Murphy said. "He was supposed to fight Movsar, like you know, and Movsar got hurt or sick or whatever happened. So, I'm the replacement now. This is a No. 1 contender fight."
