Lerone Murphy

Lerone Murphy
Born	(1991-07-22) 22 July 1991 (age 32) Manchester, England
Other names	The Miracle
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
Division	Featherweight
Reach	73.0 in (185 cm) [1]
Fighting out of	Manchester, England
Team	All Powers MMA (2013–2019) [2] Manchester Top Team (2019–present) [3]
Rank	Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [4]
Years active	2016–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	14
Wins	13
By knockout	7
By decision	6
Losses	0
Draws	1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Lerone Murphy (born 22 July 1991) is an English mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of 16 January 2024, he is #14 in the UFC featherweight rankings. ^[5]

Background

Murphy, who was born and raised in Old Trafford, went to St Edward's Primary School in Rusholme and St Mary's Levenshulme and St Anne's High Catholic High School in Heaton Chapel, Stockport. He had been a promising footballer, who went on trials for Liverpool F.C. and had trained with both Stockport County and FC United as a teenager, until at the age of 16 after he suffered a serious knee injury that prematurely ended his football dreams. Being the nephew of Manchester boxing trainer, the late Oliver Harrison, who had trained the likes of Amir Khan and Rocky Fielding, Murphy had done some boxing training, but started his MMA training when he walked into the All Powers gym. ^[2]

On Saturday May 25, 2013, Lerone having just left a barber shop on Lloyd Street South in the Manchester suburb of Fallowfield, was shot by a gunman. Lerone was hit by three bullets, being hit on the face and neck twice. Due to the injuries, Murphy had to get a set of prosthetic teeth and has a tiny shard of bullet, permanently embedded in his tongue. ^[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Making his MMA debut at FCC 15, he faced Martin Fouda and went on to defeat him via unanimous decision. Murphy would go on to defeat Tyler Thomas at Tanko FC 3, Jamie Lee at FCC 18, Nathan Thompson at FCC 19, Terry Doyle at FightStar Championship 14, all via first round TKO. He would go on to defeat his next two opponents via unanimous decision; James McErlean at Evolution Of Combat Fight Night 2 and Anton De Paepe at Celtic Gladiator 22. For his final appearance in the UK regional scene, Murphy won the FCC Featherweight Championship at FCC 23 against Manolo Schianna via TKO in the first round. ^[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Murphy made his UFC debut against Zubaira Tukhugov on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242. ^[7] The back-and-forth fight ended in a split draw with one judge assigning each fighter a 29–28 win and the third seeing it as a 28–28 draw. ^[8]

Murphy faced Ricardo Ramos on July 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 13. ^[9] He won the fight via technical knockout in round one, earning himself a Performance of the Night bonus. ^{[10] [11]}

After his second fight in the promotion, Murphy renewed his contract with the UFC. ^[12]

Murphy faced Douglas Silva de Andrade on January 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 20. ^[13] He won the bout via unanimous decision. ^[14]

Murphy was scheduled to face Charles Jourdain on September 4, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 191. ^[15] However, Murphy was pulled from the event due to visa issues, and he was replaced by Julian Erosa. ^[16]

Replacing an injured Tristan Connelly, Murphy stepped in on short notice against Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 267 on October 30, 2021. ^[17] Murphy won the bout via knockout early in the second round. ^[18]

Murphy was scheduled to face Nate Landwehr on March 26, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 33. ^[19] However, Murphy withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by David Onama. ^[20]

Murphy was scheduled to face Nathaniel Wood on March 18, 2023, at UFC 286. ^[21] However, Wood was forced to withdraw from the event due to leg injury ^[22] and was replaced by UFC newcomer Gabriel Santos. ^[23] Murphy won the fight via split decision. ^[24]

Murphy faced Joshua Culibao on July 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 224. ^[25] He won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[26]

Murphy was scheduled to face Dan Ige on February 10, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 236. ^[27] However, Murphy pulled out in mid January due to an undisclosed injury. ^[28]

Murphy is scheduled to face Edson Barboza on May 18, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 241. ^[29]

Personal life

Murphy has a son. ^[2]

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

• Full Contact Contender
  • FCC Featherweight Championship (One Time) ^[6]
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Ricardo Ramos ^[11]
• MMAjunkie.com
  • 2021 October Knockout of the Month vs. Makwan Amirkhani ^[30]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

14 matches	13 wins	0 losses
By knockout	7	0
By decision	6	0
Draws	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	13–0–1	Joshua Culibao	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura	July 22, 2023	3	5:00	London, England
Win	12–0–1	Gabriel Santos	Decision (split)	UFC 286	March 18, 2023	3	5:00	London, England
Win	11–0–1	Makwan Amirkhani	KO (knee)	UFC 267	October 30, 2021	2	0:14	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win	10–0–1	Douglas Silva de Andrade	Decision (unanimous)	UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny	January 20, 2021	3	5:00	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win	9–0–1	Ricardo Ramos	TKO (punches)	UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige	July 16, 2020	1	4:18	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	Performance of the Night.
Draw	8–0–1	Zubaira Tukhugov	Draw (split)	UFC 242	September 7, 2019	3	5:00	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win	8–0	Manolo Scianna	TKO (punches)	Full Contact Contender 23	May 18, 2019	1	2:22	Bolton, England	Won the FCC Featherweight Championship.
Win	7–0	Ayton De Paepe	Decision (unanimous)	Celtic Gladiator 22	November 30, 2018	3	5:00	Manchester, England
Win	6–0	James McErlean	Decision (unanimous)	Evolution Of Combat: Fight Night 2	September 1, 2018	3	5:00	Morecambe, England
Win	5–0	Terry Doyle	TKO (punches)	FightStar Championship 14	April 14, 2018	1	0:42	London, England	Featherweight debut.
Win	4–0	Nathan Thompson	TKO (punches)	Full Contact Contender 19	September 30, 2017	1	0:48	Bolton, England
Win	3–0	Jamie Lee	TKO (punches)	Full Contact Contender 18	April 15, 2017	1	3:55	Bolton, England
Win	2–0	Tyler John Thomas	TKO (punches)	Tanko Fighting Championships 3	February 11, 2017	1	1:55	Manchester, England
Win	1–0	Martin Fouda Afana Bipouna	Decision (unanimous)	Full Contact Contender 15	March 5, 2016	3	5:00	Bolton, England	Lightweight debut.

^[31]

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of undefeated mixed martial artists

References

1. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
2. Chris Slater (27 July 2020). "How Lerone Murphy survived being shot in the face in Manchester to become UFC's fast-rising star". anchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
3. Harry Williams (21 February 2020). "Seizing the moment: Lerone Murphy talks opportunity, debut; London return". severemma.com.
4. "Lerone Murphy | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
5. "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
6. Myles Painter (7 September 2020). "Across the Pond Profile: UFC fighter Lerone Murphy". mmauk.net. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
7. Marcel Dorff. "Zubaira Tukhugov treft ongeslagen debutant Lerone Murphy tijdens UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi" (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 August 2019.
8. Anderson, Jay (7 September 2019). "UFC 242 Results: Zubaira Tukhugov Returns from Suspension, Battles Lerone Murphy to Draw". Cageside Press. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
9. Marcel Dorff. "Ricardo Ramos vs. Lerone Murphy toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 15 juli in Abu Dhabi" (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 June 2020.
10. Doherty, Dan (15 July 2020). "UFC Fight Island 1 Results: Lerone Murphy Stops Ricardo Ramos After Slow Start". Cageside Press. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
11. Dave Doyle (16 July 2020). "UFC on ESPN 13 bonuses: Weight miss costs Abdul Razak Alhassan $50K for 'Fight of the Night'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
12. Raj Sarkar (7 September 2020). "You Haven't Seen My Full Potential Yet- Lerone Murphy". essentiallysports.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
13. Marcel Dorff (3 December 2020). "Lerone Murphy vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade tijdens midweeks evenement op 20 januari 2021". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 December 2020.
14. Jay Anderson (20 January 2021). "UFC Fight Island 8 Results: Lerone Murphy Passes Test Against Douglas Silva de Andrade". cagesidepress. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
15. Marcel Dorff (24 May 2021). "Frans-Canadezen krijgen gevechten tijdens UFC evenement op 14 augustus". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 May 2021.
16. DNA, MMA (24 August 2021). "BREAKING: Julian Erosa nieuwe tegenstander van Charles Jourdain op 4 september". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 August 2021.
17. "With Tristan Connelly out, Lerone Murphy steps in to face Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 267". MMA Junkie. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
18. Evanoff, Josh (30 October 2021). "UFC 267 Results: Lerone Murphy KO's Makwan Amirkhani". Cageside Press. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
19. "Nate Landwehr vs. Lerone Murphy added to UFC Fight Night on March 26". MMA Junkie. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
20. Dorff Marcel (5 March 2022). "UFC Columbus Onama replaces Murphy against Landwehr on March 26". Eurosport (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 March 2022.
21. Al-Shatti, Shaun (6 January 2023). "Lerone Murphy vs. Nathaniel Wood set for UFC 286 in London". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
22. Calhoun, Curtis (8 February 2023). "Nathaniel Wood Announces Withdrawal From UFC 286 After 'Freak Accident'". MMA News. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
23. Cruz, Guilherme (10 March 2023). "Unbeaten prospect Gabriel Santos to replace Nathaniel Wood vs. Lerone Murphy at UFC 286". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
24. Anderson, Jay (18 March 2023). "UFC 286: Lerone Murphy Edges Gabriel Santos in Heated Contest". Cageside Press. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
25. "Tom Aspinall returns from year-long injury layoff to headline UFC London vs. Marcin Tybura". MMA Junkie. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
26. Doherty, Dan (22 July 2023). "UFC London: Lerone Murphy Finishes Strong Against Joshua Culibao". Cageside Press. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
27. Desk, ITN News (7 December 2023). "Dan Ige vs Lerone Murphy Reported for UFC Vegas 86 in February". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
28. Kyle Dimond (17 January 2024). "BREAKING: Lerone Murphy out of his fight with Dan Ige". vmtv.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
29. Cruz, Guilherme (25 March 2024). "Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy set to headline May 18 UFC event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
30. Mike Bohn (31 October 2021). "MMA Junkie's 'Knockout of the Month' for October: A perfect knee". MMAjunkie.com .
31. Sherdog.com. "Lerone Murphy". Sherdog. Retrieved 7 August 2020.

External links

• Professional MMA record for Lerone Murphy from Sherdog
• Lerone Murphy at UFC