Lerone Murphy may be undeniable after a highlight-reel knockout of Aaron Pico.
The co-main event of UFC 319 saw the undefeated Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC) take on UFC newcomer Pico (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC). The featherweight bout was discussed as being a potential title eliminator to face Alexander Volkanovski. Murphy may have solidified that shot by knocking out Pico at 3:21 of the opening round.
Pico put heavy pressure on Murphy right out of the gate, landing clean punches in the opening exchange. After a brief clinch, Pico got right back in Murphy’s face and landed a hard shot to the body. Murphy answered with a hard short elbow. Pico then went to his wrestling game, but Murphy did well to work up without much issue. Back in space, Murphy landed a beautiful knee to the body as Pico closed in.
A moment later, a bomb of a spinning elbow detonated on the chin of Pico.
It was a perfectly-timed strike from Murphy that sent Pico crumbling to the canvas. Murphy touched him with one more punch, but he was already out cold.
During his post-fight interview, Murphy said that was the moment he needed to solidify a title shot. Joe Rogan delivered the news in the moment that secured a Performance of the Night bonus.
It didn’t take long for Volkanovski to acknowledge the performance, stating on X that he would see Murphy in December.
With the win, Murphy remains undefeated as he forges a path toward the top of the division. Last year, he beat Dan Ige and Josh Emmett unanimously on the scorecards. “The Miracle” is currently ranked No. 6 by the promotion in the featherweight division.
On the other side, the highly-touted Bellator-PFL product Pico drops his UFC debut, ending a three-fight winning streak. His run leading up to his debut consisted of a unanimous decision over James Gonzalez and back-to-back first-round finishes of Pedro Carvalho and Henry Corrales.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 319 results include:
- Lerone Murphy def. Aaron Pico via knockout (spinning elbow) – Round 1, 3:21
- Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal via knockout (spinning elbow) – Round 1, 4:59
- Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tim Elliott def. Kai Asakura via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:39
- Baisangur Susurkaev def. Tom Nolan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:01
- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:03
- Loopy Godinez def. Jessica Andrade via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Alexander Hernandez def. Chase Hooper via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:58
- Drakkar Klose def. Edson Barboza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Karine Silva def. Dione Barbosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:04
