Leron Murphy he performed at a pace that was simply too much for Edson Barboza to handle in UFC 241 Fight Night.
In the featherweight main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, “The Miracle” from 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 by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45).
The fight began with both fighters going in and out with feints before starting to sit down with heavy kicks and direct punches upstairs. A Barboza kick deflected low, stopping the fight for a few seconds, but when the fight resumed, punches began to fly more frequently with Barboza controlling the center of the cage. The back-and-forth round concluded with a big moment for Barboza, who landed an upward kick just before the horn sounded.
Murphy recovered during the break and returned to the tough battle with Barboza. After taking a couple of hard kicks, Murphy turned things around with a clean takedown entry, but Barboza prevented the fight from hitting the mat.
Murphy immediately increased the offensive pressure with heavy punches, making Barboza shake as he circled outside. Looking for a desperate change of momentum, Barboza slipped while attempting a spin attack, leaving an opportunity for Murphy to regain control until Round 2 came to a close.
Barboza began the third round controlling the center of the cage and landed a big body kick, but Murphy quickly turned the tide and responded with strong forward pressure. With about 90 seconds left in Round 3, Murphy shook Barboza again, sensing an end, although it wouldn’t come.
In the fourth round, Murphy continued to attack Barboza, seemingly at will. However, as usual, Barboza still found space to land a couple of powerful kicks as the frame progressed.
Barboza needed to hit a home run, but Murphy did well to not give him that opening. Instead, Murphy saw a dominant performance from him until the final horn, landing a significant 182 hits 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 alongside champion, Ilia Topuria.
During his post-fight interview with Paul Felder, Murphy called out anyone in the top 10 after delivering a blunt message about his future in the division:
“I’m changing my name back to ‘The Iceman’, because there’s nothing miraculous about this. I’m supposed to be here. Destination. I’m meant to be here and I’m going to be a champion. Simple.”
Updated UFC Fight Night 241 results include:
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Lerone Murphy defeated. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
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Khaos Williams defeated. Carlston Harris by knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:30
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Themba Gorimbo defeated. Ramiz Brahimaj by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Adrián Yáñez defeated. Vinicius Salvador by technical knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:47
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Angela Hill defeated. Luana Pinheiro via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:12
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Tom Nolan defeated. Víctor Martínez by technical knockout (knee, blows) – Round 1, 3:50
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Oumar Sy defeated. Tuco Tokkos via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1, 3:43
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Melissa Gatto defeated. Tamires Vidal by technical knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:37
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Abus Magomedov defeated. Warlley Alves by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
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Ariane Carnelossi defeated. Piera Rodríguez due to disqualification (intentional headbutt) – Round 2, 3:16
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Heili Alateng defeated. Kleydson Rodrigues by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Vanessa Demopoulos defeated. Emily Ducote by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub to UFC 241 Fight Night.
