Lerone Murphy Eyes Volkanovski Showdown for Title, Opens Up on Mike Tyson as His Inspiration, Underdog Mentality & Losing Power Due to Weight Cuts
UFC featherweight contender Lerone Murphy has made it clear — he wants a shot at Alexander Volkanovski, and he’ll fight anyone it takes to get there.
Speaking with CardPlayer.com, Murphy laid out his intentions for the next stage of his career.
“I’m looking at anything to get to the title. I’ll fight anybody to get to Volk. Obviously there’s other options and probably better fights to take to get me there. I did think I would’ve been fighting Arnold Allen now, to be honest. When I was looking at the division and everybody’s injured or matched up, Arnold Allen was the only one. So I did think I would’ve been fighting him, but if the UFC wants it and he wants to, we can do it in the UK. I don’t think it’s going to happen for now.”
While the UK standout is open to matchups with top-ranked contenders, his eyes remain firmly locked on the belt and if it takes grinding through anyone on the roster, Murphy’s ready for it.
When asked who lit the spark for his fighting career, Murphy pointed to a legend outside of MMA — former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.
“My inspiration has always been Mike Tyson, just because I believe he had a similar upbringing as me, around the same stuff. And then turned his life around, went into fighting early and just smashed it and he was just himself. I’ve read his book and I’ve watched all his podcasts. That’s somebody that inspired me the most in terms of combat sports. He also had a crazy mindset that I relate to.”
Tyson’s fearlessness and ferocity clearly resonate with Murphy, who, despite an undefeated UFC run, has often found himself flying under the radar as an underdog. But he’s just fine with that.
“I prefer to be an underdog, to be honest. With pressure you don’t perform as well, I believe. When I go in there and I just think it is what it is, I’m a fighter anyway. I’m going to be focused on that night and put the pressure on. I believe I do my best work with no pressure, which might be strange to some. Some people perform under pressure but I think I do my best work [when I’m relaxed]. I’m less hesitant and I let it all go and that’s what you’re going to see.”
While Murphy has proven himself as a skilled striker, it’s been nearly four years since he’s scored a knockout. He believes grueling weight cuts have played a major role in that.
“Not knocking people out can be down to a number of things. The level of the opponent has gone up massively. I think weight cuts cause me to lose my power. I lose my power and obviously as you get older the weight cuts get harder. So it’s probably depleting yourself more. I think that’s a big reason for it. But I am trying to round out my game. Before I was a dominant striker and I never really trained much for wrestling.”
As Lerone Murphy prepares for his upcoming fight against Aaron Pico at UFC 319, he carries the mentality of a man ready to fight anyone, the influence of one of boxing’s most iconic champions, and the comfort of knowing he thrives as the overlooked contender. Whether it’s Aaron Pico, a top-five name, or a direct shot at Volkanovski, Murphy’s message is clear — he’s ready to prove he belongs at the very top.
You can read Murphy’s full interview with CardPlayer.com here.
(h/t CardPlayer and Jack Comerford for the transcription.)
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