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There’s something to be said about the loudest voice in the room, particularly in the fight game. The more the public pays attention to you as a person, the more they will pay attention to your fights. It’s why Sean O’Malley needn’t justify his rematch with Merab Dvalishvili, even as purists stamp their feet. “Suga” Sean is etched into MMA’s psyche as a natural promoter, and after a sustained hiatus he managed to resurface a changed enough man to reinspire the masses.
He claims he no longer smokes weed. He doesn’t game like he used to.
“I haven’t [even] j’d the peen,” he said in a recent podcast, to sink home just how far his sacrifices run.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Lerone Murphy, a red-hot English fighter who returns this weekend for a scrap with Josh Emmett, is still buried under a pile of featherweight babble. Despite having gone undefeated in his first eight fights in the UFC, he sits tenth in the promotion’s own rankings. That doesn’t make much sense, considering that Diego Lopes — a dimpled darling who runs a pretty solid gram — is sliding into a shot against Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant title despite going only 5-1 thus far in his UFC career.
The problem with Murphy? It might be that he’s too reserved by fight game tastes.
“I believe if you’re not making noise, people don’t really get behind you or think you are up there with the best,” Murphy says. “Even with Arnold Allen. I noticed you didn’t say his name, only because he’s quiet. He is very quiet.”
This kind of thing has been developing for a long time, now. During an in-studio visit to "The Ariel Helwani Show" this week, no less of an authority than comedian Andrew Schulz said something similar when referencing Dvalishvili’s social media posts.
“The days of being a quiet athlete in fight sports are done,” Schulz said, with his eyebrows spiked high. “If you want to sell fights, you’ve got to make some noise.”
Not that Murphy isn’t marketable. He has some things in his pocket, things that run from being novel to outright absurd. For instance, he’s an undefeated Englishman coming up still very much within the golden era of U.K. fighters, acting as the standout star at Carl Prince’s burgeoning Manchester Top Team (the gym Dakota Ditcheva started at before moving to ATT). That’s kind of cool.
What else? Oh yes … then there was that time he got shot in the face.
Those six words can bring a room to attention. He got shot in the face. It happened in 2013, a couple of years before his MMA career, near his home of Manchester. Random stuff — wrong place, wrong time. He took two bullets in the grill and spat them out…which, if you think about it, is a fairly lively detail, too. Spitting out the bullets like they were sunflower seed shells. The crazy thing is that he lived to tell about it, which is how he got his nickname, “The Miracle.”
Yet, as Murphy told Uncrowned’s own Petesy Carroll ahead of his last fight with Dan Ige, he isn’t all that interested in having the incident define him (“It’s not something fun — it’s not a cool story,” he said). As the old proverb goes, life moves but one direction, and that’s forward.
And that’s why Murphy would rather talk about the man who’s gunning for him on Saturday rather than his wild tales of perseverance. In this case, Emmett, who folded Bryce Mitchell in his last fight with a nasty right hand, a punch that earned a nomination for Knockout of the Year in ’23.
“He’s a quality fighter — he’s a high-quality fighter and one of the best in the world for a reason,” Murphy says. “He’s been around for a while, and he’s a good fighter. He’s got a lot of heart when it comes to fight every time. So, I've not got a bad word to say about Josh Emmett.
“Obviously he fought three times in one year [in 2023], which definitely took a toll and he’s fine. These were the best guys in the world, Ilia Topuria, Yair Rodriguez and Bryce Mitchell, all back-to-back-to-back.”
You might be wondering why Murphy wasn’t on the UFC’s London card last week, given that he is a big part of the U.K. wave. Why is he fighting in the intimate quiet of the Apex, some 5,000 miles from home, a week after the British parade? And that’s because Murphy still doesn’t have much say in these matters.
“I was told that Josh Emmett doesn't want to go to England,” he says. “Which I get, he’s the higher ranked fighter. He’s the more experienced fighter. He’s been around for a while, so I believe he’s calling the shots in this one, know what I’m saying? So, it is what it is.”
It is indeed.
Lerone Murphy's unbeaten run should have him knocking on the UFC title door, but silence isn't always golden in the fight game.
Chris Unger via Getty Images
And to look at Murphy’s trajectory, a victory over Emmett would nudge him a little further up the featherweight chain. The last (and only) time he fought at the Apex was against Edson Barboza last May, in which he gained some experience in a five-round fight (which he won via decision) and some extra pocket cash by taking home the Fight of the Night bonus.
Even with Topuria vacating his title for a run as a lightweight, there are monsters ahead of him in the pecking order, from Max Holloway to Brian Ortega to Rodriguez. Emmett might not be the catapult to a title shot, but beating him will likely deliver Murphy at a contender’s doorstep.
“I believe this is the best division in the world right now,” Murphy says. “I think it’s the best division in the world. You’ve got Patricio Pitbull, too. You’ve got Yair in there, you've got a lot of solid fighters, and I believe this is the hardest division to go and get the title. It’s the most exciting as well. I think every fight can be a headliner on a pay-per-view card. I love to be part of it.”
It is difficult to distinguish yourself in a division as deep as featherweight. Yet there are methods to try. After he beat Ige in his last fight, Murphy called for Emmett next, which — presto — came to fruition. It’s a small example of how being vocal works.
Should be beat Emmett, will he have a name at the ready when the mic comes his way?
“My coach actually said that name [Josh Emmett] to me,” he says. “I said boom, and I just said it. But I never think past the fight. And I never think what I'm going to do on the mic or whatnot. I know people visualize it and whatnot, but I never think that far ahead to be honest.
“Whoever they UFC puts in front of me, we're fighting.”
Damnit, Lerone! Well, should he beat Emmett, his coach better whisper a big name into his ear.
Continue reading...
He claims he no longer smokes weed. He doesn’t game like he used to.
“I haven’t [even] j’d the peen,” he said in a recent podcast, to sink home just how far his sacrifices run.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Lerone Murphy, a red-hot English fighter who returns this weekend for a scrap with Josh Emmett, is still buried under a pile of featherweight babble. Despite having gone undefeated in his first eight fights in the UFC, he sits tenth in the promotion’s own rankings. That doesn’t make much sense, considering that Diego Lopes — a dimpled darling who runs a pretty solid gram — is sliding into a shot against Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant title despite going only 5-1 thus far in his UFC career.
The problem with Murphy? It might be that he’s too reserved by fight game tastes.
“I believe if you’re not making noise, people don’t really get behind you or think you are up there with the best,” Murphy says. “Even with Arnold Allen. I noticed you didn’t say his name, only because he’s quiet. He is very quiet.”
This kind of thing has been developing for a long time, now. During an in-studio visit to "The Ariel Helwani Show" this week, no less of an authority than comedian Andrew Schulz said something similar when referencing Dvalishvili’s social media posts.
“The days of being a quiet athlete in fight sports are done,” Schulz said, with his eyebrows spiked high. “If you want to sell fights, you’ve got to make some noise.”
Not that Murphy isn’t marketable. He has some things in his pocket, things that run from being novel to outright absurd. For instance, he’s an undefeated Englishman coming up still very much within the golden era of U.K. fighters, acting as the standout star at Carl Prince’s burgeoning Manchester Top Team (the gym Dakota Ditcheva started at before moving to ATT). That’s kind of cool.
What else? Oh yes … then there was that time he got shot in the face.
Those six words can bring a room to attention. He got shot in the face. It happened in 2013, a couple of years before his MMA career, near his home of Manchester. Random stuff — wrong place, wrong time. He took two bullets in the grill and spat them out…which, if you think about it, is a fairly lively detail, too. Spitting out the bullets like they were sunflower seed shells. The crazy thing is that he lived to tell about it, which is how he got his nickname, “The Miracle.”
Yet, as Murphy told Uncrowned’s own Petesy Carroll ahead of his last fight with Dan Ige, he isn’t all that interested in having the incident define him (“It’s not something fun — it’s not a cool story,” he said). As the old proverb goes, life moves but one direction, and that’s forward.
And that’s why Murphy would rather talk about the man who’s gunning for him on Saturday rather than his wild tales of perseverance. In this case, Emmett, who folded Bryce Mitchell in his last fight with a nasty right hand, a punch that earned a nomination for Knockout of the Year in ’23.
“He’s a quality fighter — he’s a high-quality fighter and one of the best in the world for a reason,” Murphy says. “He’s been around for a while, and he’s a good fighter. He’s got a lot of heart when it comes to fight every time. So, I've not got a bad word to say about Josh Emmett.
“Obviously he fought three times in one year [in 2023], which definitely took a toll and he’s fine. These were the best guys in the world, Ilia Topuria, Yair Rodriguez and Bryce Mitchell, all back-to-back-to-back.”
You might be wondering why Murphy wasn’t on the UFC’s London card last week, given that he is a big part of the U.K. wave. Why is he fighting in the intimate quiet of the Apex, some 5,000 miles from home, a week after the British parade? And that’s because Murphy still doesn’t have much say in these matters.
“I was told that Josh Emmett doesn't want to go to England,” he says. “Which I get, he’s the higher ranked fighter. He’s the more experienced fighter. He’s been around for a while, so I believe he’s calling the shots in this one, know what I’m saying? So, it is what it is.”
It is indeed.
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Lerone Murphy's unbeaten run should have him knocking on the UFC title door, but silence isn't always golden in the fight game.
Chris Unger via Getty Images
And to look at Murphy’s trajectory, a victory over Emmett would nudge him a little further up the featherweight chain. The last (and only) time he fought at the Apex was against Edson Barboza last May, in which he gained some experience in a five-round fight (which he won via decision) and some extra pocket cash by taking home the Fight of the Night bonus.
Even with Topuria vacating his title for a run as a lightweight, there are monsters ahead of him in the pecking order, from Max Holloway to Brian Ortega to Rodriguez. Emmett might not be the catapult to a title shot, but beating him will likely deliver Murphy at a contender’s doorstep.
“I believe this is the best division in the world right now,” Murphy says. “I think it’s the best division in the world. You’ve got Patricio Pitbull, too. You’ve got Yair in there, you've got a lot of solid fighters, and I believe this is the hardest division to go and get the title. It’s the most exciting as well. I think every fight can be a headliner on a pay-per-view card. I love to be part of it.”
It is difficult to distinguish yourself in a division as deep as featherweight. Yet there are methods to try. After he beat Ige in his last fight, Murphy called for Emmett next, which — presto — came to fruition. It’s a small example of how being vocal works.
Should be beat Emmett, will he have a name at the ready when the mic comes his way?
“My coach actually said that name [Josh Emmett] to me,” he says. “I said boom, and I just said it. But I never think past the fight. And I never think what I'm going to do on the mic or whatnot. I know people visualize it and whatnot, but I never think that far ahead to be honest.
“Whoever they UFC puts in front of me, we're fighting.”
Damnit, Lerone! Well, should he beat Emmett, his coach better whisper a big name into his ear.
Continue reading...
