Lerone Murphy thinks the UFC is putting him to the test at UFC Fight Night 241.
Murphy (13-0-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) meets Edson Barboza (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner (ESPN+) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas – his first main event.
Barboza will mark a step up in competition for the unbeaten Murphy, who sees the Brazilian veteran as a chance to prove that he’s ready to make a title run.
“We’ve done some good training to push that, to get through the mental battles,” Murphy told The Allstar. “And then going into the fourth and fifth, that’s when you really see what you’re made of and that’s why they put the young prospects like me into a five-round fight – because if it’s a three-round fight, it’s totally different.
“I feel like the UFC are trying to really see: Am I championship caliber? Let’s see it. Let’s see it now. I feel like that’s why they made it five rounds, because otherwise, they would have put it on the Brazil card as a three-rounder. They would have put it in Manchester as a three rounder. So it’s a fraud check.”
Murphy hasn’t competed since defeating Josh Culibao in June 2023. He was booked to face Dan Ige at UFC Fight Night 236, but withdrew due to injury. Now he gets an even bigger opportunity in a main event against Barboza.
“(This is) the biggest fight of my career, easily,” Murphy said. “It’s a big opportunity, and that’s how I’m looking at it. Obviously, I respect him and I know how high-level he is. He’s been in there with the best, but I feel like it’s my time to shine. It feels like it’s now or never for me. I’ve been through so much, so many ups and downs, and now I’ve got my opportunity. I need to go out there and actually make the most of it.”
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