LAS VEGAS – The circle closes for Leron Murphy.
The last time he was in Las Vegas was in 2015, not as a fighter, but as a fan. A lot has changed since Murphy (13-0-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) attended UFC 189an all-time consensus card headlined by Conor McGregor x Chad Mendes.
At that time, Murphy was an amateur, undefeated at 3-0. The goose egg in the loss column was maintained with one more amateur fight and 14 professional fights.
The success led to his first main promotional event on Saturday at UFC 241 Fight Night. The card flows into ESPN+.
“It’s huge,” Murphy told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday in a pre-fight press conference. I visited Las Vegas in 2016 to watch McGregor and Mendes and since then I’ve always felt like this is a place I need to fight. This is the capital of the struggle. Now we are here. … My thoughts (when I heard about this matchup) were, ‘Wow. This is my opportunity. This is my breakthrough. This is my time to shine now.’”
Murphy has a familiar and formidable opponent for their first five-round clash. He faces the always exciting Edson Barboza (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC), a man he respects a lot.
“It’s not really the main event aspect, it’s not that,” Murphy said. “Who I’m fighting is more important. I’m going to face Edson Barboza, a legend of the sport, a dangerous fighter. That’s what turned me on, yes. … (A victory) puts me up there, solidifies my name, puts me among the elite of the elite. This gives me a chance to get into the top 10 later.”
Ten weeks after UFC Fight Night 241, the promotion arrives in Manchester, England, for the first time since October 2016. The timing certainly isn’t ideal, but Murphy is hoping the stars align where he leaves Saturday’s fight unscathed. enough to compete in his hometown. .
“Of course, I want to be on that card,” Murphy said. “It’s a Manchester card. I’m a Mancunian. I repeat, I am the only Mancunian in the squad, born and bred. So it would be right for me to be there. But I think it’s six weeks away. Obviously, I’m in a five-round fight. I don’t wait around. But if we can get through this fight unscathed and with a victory, I will definitely ask the matchmaker to put me in my place.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 241 Fight Night.
