Latest news with #LeroneMurphy
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Video: UFC 319 'Countdown' for Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico
Did you miss the debut of UFC 319 "Countdown" or just want to watch it again? Check out the co-main event preview now. The segment takes a special look at the featherweight fight between Lerone Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) and former Bellator standout Aaron Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who is making his UFC debut. UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago. "Countdown" goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don't miss the entire episode in the video below. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 319 preview video: Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Video: UFC 319 'Countdown' for Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico
Did you miss the debut of UFC 319 "Countdown" or just want to watch it again? Check out the co-main event preview now. The segment takes a special look at the featherweight fight between Lerone Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) and former Bellator standout Aaron Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who is making his UFC debut. UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago. "Countdown" goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don't miss the entire episode in the video below.
Forbes
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 319: Du Plessis Vs. Chimaev Full Fight Card Betting Odds
The UFC 319 fight card is less than a week away. The pay-per-view event, which takes place on Saturday, August 16 from United Center in Chicago, has a middleweight title fight in the main event slot. In that contest, Dricus du Plessis looks to make the third defense if his UFC 185-pound title when he faces the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. A high-stakes featherweight meeting serves as the UFC 319 co-main event. In that contest, the unbeaten Lerone Murphy steps in on short notice to face high-profile free agent Aaron Pico. We look at the early UFC 319 fight week betting odds for each fight on the upcoming UFC event. The UFC 319 main card streams on ESPN+ PPV following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. UFC 319 Pay-Per-View Card Betting Odds: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev Dricus du Plessis (+180) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (-210) - For Du Plessis's UFC middleweight title Lerone Murphy (+125) vs. Aaron Pico (-145) - Featherweight Geoff Neal (+205) vs. Carlos Prates (-240) - Welterweight Jared Cannonier (+150) vs. Michael Page (-175) - Middleweight Tim Elliott (+210) vs. Kai Asakura (-270) - Flyweight UFC 319 Preliminary Card Betting Odds: Du Plessis vs. Chimaev King Green (+135) vs. Diego Ferreira (-155) - Lightweight Gerald Meerschaert (+180) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (-210) - Middleweight Jessica Andrade (+130) vs. Loopy Godinez (-150) - Women's Strawweight Chase Hooper (-280) vs. Alexander Hernandez (+240) - Lightweight Edson Barboza (-150) vs. Drakkar Klose (+130) - Lightweight Bryan Battle (-175) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (+150) - Middleweight Karine Silva (-200) vs. Dione Barbosa (+170) - Women's Flyweight Rodrigo Sezinando (TBA) vs. TBD (TBA) - TUF Welterweight Final Idiris Alibi (TBA) vs. Joseph Morales (TBA) - TUF Flyweight Final UFC 319 Main Event: Dricus du Plessis Vs. Khamzat Chimaev Dricus du Plessis (23-2) joined the UFC in October 2020 as a 26-year-old with a 14-2 record. Before he joined the UFC, Du Plessis had won titles with KSW and EFC. He made his debut against Markus Perez on the main card of a UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi. Du Plessis knocked out Perez in the first round. He followed that win with a July 2021 'Performance of the Night' KO win of Trevin Giles. Those two wins earned him a shot against the ranked veteran Brad Tavares. Du Plessis won that scrap via decision. The victory put him in the top 15 of the division. A December 2022 submission win over Darren Till moved Du Plessis to No. 10 in the division. A TKO win over the No. 5 ranked Derek Brunson followed. Du Plessis, who was working his way up the rankings, faced a tough test in his next outing when he met the No. 2 ranked Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Du Plessis continued his rise, knocking out the former UFC champion in the UFC middleweight title eliminator and earning another 'Performance of the Night' bonus. More important than the bonus was the title shot Du Plessis received for that win. He faced then-champion Sean Strickland in January, taking the title from Strickland in a 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap In his first title defense Du Plessis picked up an August 2024 submission win over former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis most recently faced Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 in early February of this year. Du Plessis won that contest via unanimous decision. I wrote of the champ after that fight, "Dricus du Plessis looked much more controlled and less reckless at UFC 312 than in many of his previous battles. He mixed up his striking techniques and targets against Sean Strickland, landed the more powerful blows, and didn't put himself in too many awkward positions. "Du Plessis did a much better job in his UFC 312 rematch against Strickland in shutting down his foe's offense. In the first fight, Strickland landed 173 of 408 significant strikes. While in the rematch, Strickland was held to 128 landed strikes on 263 attempts. Meanwhile, Du Plessis increased his landed strikes and landing percentage from the first fight to the second. In the first battle, Du Plessis landed 137 of 354 attempts for a landing rate of 38 percent. At UFC 312, the champ landed 147 of 314 attempts for a striking rate of 46 percent. 'Du Plessis has defended the UFC middleweight crown twice while going 9-0 in the UFC. Despite his winning ways, the champ remains a bit of an enigma because his style shouldn't work — but it does.' Chimaev (14-0) is the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. The 30-year-old made his UFC debut in July 2020 with a second-round submission win over John Phillips. He followed that victory with a first-round TKO over Rhys McKee 10 days later, breaking the UFC record for the quickest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era. Then, in September, Chimaev knocked out Gerald Meerschaert. Things slowed down for Chimaev after that. He was booked to face Leon Edwards in December 2020, but that matchup never came to be despite multiple attempts to make the fight happen. The reason behind the numerous cancellations of Edwards vs. Chimaev was COVID-19. When Chimaev finally returned to the Octagon in October 2021, he made short work of Li Jingliang, scoring a submission at 3:16 of Round 1. In his next bout, Chimaev went the distance for the first time in his career, picking up a victory over Gilbert Burns. He followed that with a submission over Kevin Holland. A break of more than a year followed that victory. Chimaev's next outing was an October 2023 matchup against Kamaru Usman, a fight that Chimaev won via decision. A year after that, Chimaev made short work of Robert Whittaker, defeating the ex-UFC middleweight champ via submission (face crank) in the first round of their UFC 308 scrap. UFC 319 Co-Main Event: Lerone Murphy Vs. Aaron Pico Lerone Murphy (16-0-1) opened his UFC career with a 2019 draw against Zubaira Tukhugov. Since then, the 34 year old has done nothing but win. Murphy has gone 8-0 with the UFC since that draw, most recently beating former UFC interim title challenger Josh Emmett by decision. Before that April 2025 victory, Murphy picked up wins over Edson Barboza and Dan Ige. Murphy is the No. 6 ranked fighter in the official UFC 145-pound division. Aaron Pico (13-4) joined the UFC as a free agent earlier this year. Pico was with Bellator for his entire MMA career before departing as a free agent. The 28-year-old had an up-and-down run with the promotion, but he enters UFC Abu Dhabi on a three-fight winning streak. His record in his past 10 fights is 9-1. His only loss during that span, which dates back to January 2020, is a October 2022 TKO loss to Jeremy Kennedy in a fighter were the doctor stopped the bout because Pico dislocated his shoulder. When announcing the initial UFC 319 co-main event of Movsar Evloev vs. Pico, UFC CEO Dana White called Pico, 'the guy most people consider to be the top free agent in the world.' White added, 'Aaron Pico is a ridiculously violent striker and a very high-level grappler. Pico has had hype behind him since he was a teenager because of his skill and fighting style, which people compare him to the likes of Justin Gaethje or Dustin Poirier.' The Pico vs. Evloev fight fell apart in mid-July when Evloev was pulled from the card due to illness. We will have more on the UFC 319 fight card as fight night nears.
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
UFC 319 Full Fight Card Announced With 14 Bouts
The next UFC pay-per-view fight card takes place this week at the United Center in Chicago. That PPV event, UFC 319, is headlined by a middleweight title fight. In the UFC 319 main event, Dricus du Plessis, who is unbeaten in the UFC, puts his 185-pound crown on the line against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Meanwhile, in the UFC 319 co-main event, undefeated Lerone Murphy steps in on short notice to face high-profile free-agent signing Aaron Pico at featherweight. In total, 14 bouts are scheduled for the full UFC 319 fight card. UFC 319 Pay-Per-View Card: Du Plessis Vs. Chimaev Dricus du Plessis (c) vs. Khamzat Chimaev - For Du Plessis's UFC middleweight title Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico - Featherweight Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates - Welterweight Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page - Middleweight Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura - Flyweight UFC 319 Preliminary Card: Du Plessis Vs. Chimaev King Green vs. Diego Ferreira - Lightweight Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk - Middleweight Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez - Women's Strawweight Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez - Lightweight Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose - Lightweight Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev - Middleweight Karine Silva vs. Dione Barbosa - Women's Flyweight Rodrigo Sezinando vs. TBD - TUF Welterweight Final Idiris Alibi vs. Joseph Morales - TUF Flyweight Final UFC 319: Du Plessis Vs. Chimaev Fight Card Date: Saturday, August 16, 2025 UFC 319:Du Plessis Vs. Chimaev Fight Card Location: United Center in Chicago, IL UFC 319: Du Plessis Vs. Chimaev Tickets: Available from Ticketmaster Low price: $501.20 (Standard - non resale) High price: $8,029.90 for first row (Platinum - non resale) UFC 319: Du Plessis Vs. Chimaev Time: Main Card: 10:00 p.m. ET Preliminary Card: 7:00 p.m. ET Early Prelims: 6:00 p.m. ET UFC 319 Main Event: Dricus du Plessis Vs. Khamzat Chimaev Dricus du Plessis (23-2) joined the UFC in October 2020 as a 26-year-old with a 14-2 record. Before he joined the UFC, Du Plessis had won titles with KSW and EFC. He made his debut against Markus Perez on the main card of a UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi. Du Plessis knocked out Perez in the first round. He followed that win with a July 2021 'Performance of the Night' KO win of Trevin Giles. Those two wins earned him a shot against the ranked veteran Brad Tavares. Du Plessis won that scrap via decision. The victory put him in the top 15 of the division. A December 2022 submission win over Darren Till moved Du Plessis to No. 10 in the division. A TKO win over the No. 5 ranked Derek Brunson followed. Du Plessis, who was working his way up the rankings, faced a tough test in his next outing when he met the No. 2 ranked Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Du Plessis continued his rise, knocking out the former UFC champion in the UFC middleweight title eliminator and earning another 'Performance of the Night' bonus. More important than the bonus was the title shot Du Plessis received for that win. He faced then-champion Sean Strickland in January, taking the title from Strickland in a 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap In his first title defense Du Plessis picked up an August 2024 submission win over former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis most recently faced Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 in early February of this year. Du Plessis won that contest via unanimous decision. I wrote of the champ after that fight, "Dricus du Plessis looked much more controlled and less reckless at UFC 312 than in many of his previous battles. He mixed up his striking techniques and targets against Sean Strickland, landed the more powerful blows, and didn't put himself in too many awkward positions. "Du Plessis did a much better job in his UFC 312 rematch against Strickland in shutting down his foe's offense. In the first fight, Strickland landed 173 of 408 significant strikes. While in the rematch, Strickland was held to 128 landed strikes on 263 attempts. Meanwhile, Du Plessis increased his landed strikes and landing percentage from the first fight to the second. In the first battle, Du Plessis landed 137 of 354 attempts for a landing rate of 38 percent. At UFC 312, the champ landed 147 of 314 attempts for a striking rate of 46 percent. 'Du Plessis has defended the UFC middleweight crown twice while going 9-0 in the UFC. Despite his winning ways, the champ remains a bit of an enigma because his style shouldn't work — but it does.' Chimaev (14-0) is the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. The 30-year-old made his UFC debut in July 2020 with a second-round submission win over John Phillips. He followed that victory with a first-round TKO over Rhys McKee 10 days later, breaking the UFC record for the quickest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era. Then, in September, Chimaev knocked out Gerald Meerschaert. Things slowed down for Chimaev after that. He was booked to face Leon Edwards in December 2020, but that matchup never came to be despite multiple attempts to make the fight happen. The reason behind the numerous cancellations of Edwards vs. Chimaev was COVID-19. When Chimaev finally returned to the Octagon in October 2021, he made short work of Li Jingliang, scoring a submission at 3:16 of Round 1. In his next bout, Chimaev went the distance for the first time in his career, picking up a victory over Gilbert Burns. He followed that with a submission over Kevin Holland. A break of more than a year followed that victory. Chimaev's next outing was an October 2023 matchup against Kamaru Usman, a fight that Chimaev won via decision. A year after that, Chimaev made short work of Robert Whittaker, defeating the ex-UFC middleweight champ via submission (face crank) in the first round of their UFC 308 scrap. UFC 319 Co-Main Event: Lerone Murphy Vs. Aaron Pico Lerone Murphy (16-0-1) opened his UFC career with a 2019 draw against Zubaira Tukhugov. Since then, the 34 year old has done nothing but win. Murphy has gone 8-0 with the UFC since that draw, most recently beating former UFC interim title challenger Josh Emmett by decision. Before that April 2025 victory, Murphy picked up wins over Edson Barboza and Dan Ige. Murphy is the No. 6 ranked fighter in the official UFC 145-pound division. Aaron Pico (13-4) joined the UFC as a free agent earlier this year. Pico was with Bellator for his entire MMA career before departing as a free agent. The 28-year-old had an up-and-down run with the promotion, but he enters UFC Abu Dhabi on a three-fight winning streak. His record in his past 10 fights is 9-1. His only loss during that span, which dates back to January 2020, is a October 2022 TKO loss to Jeremy Kennedy in a fighter were the doctor stopped the bout because Pico dislocated his shoulder. When announcing the initial UFC 319 co-main event of Movsar Evloev vs. Pico, UFC CEO Dana White called Pico, 'the guy most people consider to be the top free agent in the world.' White added, 'Aaron Pico is a ridiculously violent striker and a very high-level grappler. Pico has had hype behind him since he was a teenager because of his skill and fighting style, which people compare him to the likes of Justin Gaethje or Dustin Poirier.' The Pico vs. Evloev fight fell apart in mid-July when Evloev was pulled from the card due to illness. We will have more on the UFC 319 fight card as fight night nears.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 319 co-main event
Aaron Pico will still get a big opportunity in his promotional debut at UFC 319. Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico preview Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) originally was scheduled to make his octagon debut against No. 1-ranked featherweight Movsar Evloev at UFC on ABC 9 in Abu Dhabi, but the bout was scrapped when Evloev withdrew. Instead, Pico gets No. 6 ranked Lerone Murphy in the UFC 319 co-main event in Chicago. Unbeaten in his professional MMA career, Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) is on an eight-fight winning streak, and is coming off a main event win over Josh Emmett at UFC on ESPN 65 in April. Meanwhile, Pico hasn't competed since a first-round TKO of Henry Corrales in February 2024. Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico odds According to FanDuel, Murphy is a slight +124 underdog against UFC newcomer Pico, who's a -158 favorite. How to watch Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico at UFC 319
