Murphy edges out Emmett in UFC main event to stay undefeated
Lerone Murphy continued his rise in the featherweight division Saturday, defeating Josh Emmett via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) in the UFC Fight Night main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Murphy remained undefeated with the tactical win, improving to 16-0-1 as a professional. He's tied with Movsar Evloev for the longest active winning streak in the division (eight).
"It was all right," Murphy said of his performance. "I had to fight a certain fight. ... I just had to fight my game. He's a dangerous fighter. Everybody knows he's got one-punch knockout power. I couldn't make any mistakes."
Fans in attendance booed Murphy during his postfight interview, seemingly unhappy with the fight's outcome. Murphy responded by calling the victory "easy work."
The matchup was competitive from start to finish, with Murphy controlling the distance and staying slightly busier than Emmett on the feet. Murphy peppered Emmett's lead leg with kicks throughout the fight and landed a heavy spinning kick to the body in Round 2.
Emmett completed four out of 11 takedowns in the fight but couldn't do much on the ground. Known for his knockout power in the 145-pound division, Emmett struggled to land heavy punches on Murphy, though he connected with few overhand rights in the fourth round. Murphy tagged Emmett with a hard left in the fifth and outstruck Emmett 84-41 in significant strikes overall.
Murphy now holds an 8-0-1 record in the UFC. This was the 33-year-old Englishman's second main event in the past 11 months.
Emmett and Murphy were ranked No. 8 and No. 10, respectively, coming in. Murphy said he hopes to get another step up in competition following his latest victory.
"Obviously, I want the title, but give me anybody in that top five, top three even," Murphy said. "Give me one of them guys. I'll fight again in July. Let's go. I just want to keep this train going. I want to get to the championship. I want to stay active. Another two fights this year."
Emmett, 40, returned to the Octagon for the first time since his December 2023 knockout of Bryce Mitchell. The former interim title challenger is 1-3 in his last four outings.