Lerone Murphy has high aspirations following his unanimous decision victory over Edson Barboza.
Murphy and Barboza shared the Octagon inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada this past Saturday. When the five rounds were over and Murphy was awarded the victory, “The Miracle” was also given an extra $50,000 bonus for Fight of the Night. Murphy has now proven he can go into deep waters with experienced competition. The win will earn Murphy a spot on the official UFC featherweight rankings.
The rising undefeated featherweight is now shooting for the stars.
RELATED: UFC VEGAS 92 RESULTS: LERONE MURPHY DEFEATS EDSON BARBOZA (HIGHLIGHTS)
Lerone Murphy Seeks Gold and UFC 304 Fight
During the UFC Vegas 92 post-fight press conference, Lerone Murphy made it clear that he feels he is championship material (h/t MMAJunkie.com).
“I can be champion,” Murphy said. “I’ve shown that level now. I’m only getting better. That’s the scary thing. This whole camp, I was working on just a few little bits. I was kind of, not scared going into the fight, but I didn’t have that perfected yet. I know I’m still growing at a massive rate. I’m going to get better and better. Even just my footwork looked better in that fight. My striking was better. I’m improving and my ceiling is still here. I’m still here. I feel like I can improve much better than I am already and I could get that title.”
UFC 304 will be taking place in Manchester, England. Murphy is hoping to fight at home in front of his family, friends, and fans.
“I’m going to jump in an ice bath every day next week. I’m going to go and rest up. I want to make that card. There’s no rush, if not. I’d love to fight on there. But if not, I’ll be there in attendance to watch the guys win, to watch ‘Rocky’ win, and watch all the rest of the guys. It’s a great card.”
“… Whoever wants it – anybody in the top 10. I’m sure if you look at the names, the featherweight division is one of the best divisions. I feel like everybody is going to get a tough fight and a good fight.”
UFC 304’s main event will feature a welterweight championship clash. Titleholder Leon Edwards will look for his third successful defense when he takes on Belal Muhammad. The co-main event will see interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall put his gold at stake against Curtis Blaydes.
