Lerone Murphy performed at a pace that was simply too fast for Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 241.
In the featherweight main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, “The Miracle” of Manchester, England, rarely gave Barboza (24-12 MMA, 18-12 UFC) room to unleash his offense. As a result, Murphy (14-0-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) remained undefeated, winning a unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45).
The fight started with both fighters feinting in and out before sitting up with hard leg kicks and straight punches. A kick from Barboza strayed low, halting the fight for a few seconds, but when the fight resumed, the strikes started flying more frequently, with Barboza controlling the center of the cage. The back-and-forth round ended with a big moment for Barboza, who landed a flush upkick right before the horn.
Murphy recovered during the break and returned in the high-profile battle with Barboza. After landing a few hard leg kicks, Murphy turned things around with a clean takedown submission, but Barboza denied the fight by hitting the mat.
Murphy immediately turned up the offensive pressure with hard punches, leaving Barboza on wobbly legs as he circled out. Looking for a desperate change of momentum, Barboza slipped when he attempted a spinning attack, leaving an opening for Murphy to take control until round 2 came to a close.
Barboza started Round 3 by controlling the center of the cage and delivering a big body kick, but Murphy quickly turned the tide and responded with heavy forward pressure. With about 90 seconds left in lap 3, Murphy had Barboza on shaky legs again and sensing a finish, although it wouldn’t come.
In round 4, Murphy continued to pick and pop Barboza, seemingly at will. However, in typical fashion, Barboza still found room to sneak in some powerful kicks as the frame progressed.
Barboza had to connect with a home run shot, but Murphy did well not to leave him that opening. Instead, Murphy saw his dominant performance all the way to the final horn, landing 182 significant strikes on Barboza.
Murphy’s first fight of 2024 was a dominant display against one of the most dangerous strikers in the division. He is currently tied for the second-longest active winning streak in the featherweight division, behind champion Ilia Topuria.
During his post-fight interview with Paul Felder, Murphy called out everyone in the top 10 after delivering a clear message about his future in the division:
“I’m going to change my name back to ‘The Iceman’ because there’s nothing miraculous about this. I’m meant to be here. Destination. I’m meant to be here, and I’m going to be a champion. Simple.”
Current UFC Fight Night 241 results include:
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Lerone Murphy def. Edson Barboza via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
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Khaos Williams def. Carlston Harris via Knockout (Punch) – Round 1, 1:30
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Themba Gorimbo def. Ramiz Brahimaj via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Adrian Yanez def. Vinicius Salvador via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:47
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Angela Hill def. Luana Pinheiro via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:12
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Tom Nolan beats. Victor Martinez via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 3:50
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Oumar Sy final Tuco Tokkos via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:43
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Melissa Gatto def. Tamires Vidal via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:37
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Abus Magomedov def. Warlley Alves via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
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Ariane Carnelossi def. Piera Rodriguez via disqualification (intentional headbutt) – Round 2, 3:16
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Heili Alateng def. Kleydson Rodrigues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Vanessa Demopoulos def. Emily Ducote via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s events hub for UFC Fight Night 241.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
