Competing in his second promotional main event this past Saturday at UFC Vegas 105, Lerone Murphy scored the biggest win of his career by taking a masterful unanimous decision over the seasoned Josh Emmett. Taking much care to avoid the power punches of the American, Murphy used his immaculate footwork and proficient stance switching to out strike Emmett and stuff seven of his 11 takedowns. The victory now places Lerone Murphy in the featherweight top 10, taking Emmett’s spot at No. 8.
Who Could Be Next for Lerone Murphy?
Now closer than ever to the upper echelon of the division, “The Miracle” has several enticing options for him to help speed up his title aspirations. From tangling with even more established veterans, to taking on fellow young up-and-comers, the path toward the 145-lb title is lined with a couple of key fights for the European.
These are the possible matches to make for Lerone Murphy.
Lerone Murphy vs. Aljamain Sterling
To become a UFC champion, one must prove themselves to be among the very best competitors in the sport. Even once they lose their belts, these stalwart names can still stand as tough obstacles for seemingly unstoppable prospects and contenders, even when on losing streaks, which is why a triumph over a former title holder such as previous bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling could be the push that Lerone Murphy needs to get him into a championship contest.
At one point in time, Sterling held the 135-lb class firmly in the palm of his hands, having defended his strap a total of three times, cementing his place as a force on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. On his way to securing the throne, the New York representative defeated a host of strong opposition like Renan Barão, Pedro Munhoz, Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan.
While champion, “Funk Master” further went on to make a strong case for himself to being called the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time by protecting his gold from solid challengers in Yan, again, T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. He would then drop his championship to Sean O’Malley before moving up to featherweight, where he has gone 1-1 in his past two bouts.
For Lerone Murphy, beating a bona fide legend such as Sterling, who also comes from the champion breeding ground known as Serra-Longo Fight Team, can easily boost his claim toward contending for a title shot. The matchup also makes sense for Sterling, who is in need of a statement-making win of his own following his latest setback to Movsar Evloev.
Lerone Murphy vs. Arnold Allen
In recent years, the 145-lb category has experienced an influx of streaking young talent start to creep their way up the ladder such as Lerone Murphy, himself, the aforementioned Evloev, and a fellow Englishman named Arnold Allen.
Entering the UFC in 2015, Allen had embarked on a colossal run at featherweight, going undefeated in his first ten fights in the promotion, attaining notable victories against Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Hooker and Calvin Kattar. However, his magnificent conquest was firmly halted by previous champion Max Holloway, who drowned “Almighty” with his signature volume striking and hand speed.
Getting back recently into the winner’s circle by dismantling Giga Chikadze at UFC 304, Allen is also seeking to resume his pursuit of the belt. Representing the new wave of contenders that have begun to shape the competitive landscape of the division, Lerone Murphy and Allen have appeared to be set on a collision course for a few years now.
Although they both are from the same home country, a confrontation between these two may just be unavoidable, as they each have the same goal in mind: to become the first English-born featherweight competitor to win UFC gold.
Lerone Murphy vs. Brian Ortega
Taking a clear decision over the established Emmett, Murphy more than solidified his position as one of the best featherweights in the world today. Before the night was done, though, “The Miracle” already had a name for his next outing to the Octagon, Brian Ortega.
Long hailed as a strong figure in the 145-lb weight class, Ortega had remained a fixture in the top ten for almost a decade, having garnered impressive stoppages over fighters like Clay Guida, Frankie Edgar and Yair Rodríguez. He also vied for the featherweight championship on two occasions, losing both instances to Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.
In his post-event interview, Murphy made it known that he was willing to face anyone in the top five, including Ortega, whom the Englishman wrongly assumed was the No. 3 ranked contender; he’s No. 6. On X, “T-City” responded with a simple emoji, possibly confirming his own interest in battling Lerone Murphy later in 2025.
— Brian Ortega (@BrianTcity) April 6, 2025
Although Ortega has voiced his desire to move to lightweight, a win over the streaking Lerone Murphy may just be what he needs to rebound in spectacular fashion after dropping a unanimous decision to Diego Lopes at UFC 306 last year.
