Could Lerone Murphy and Aaron Pico be fighting for a crack at UFC gold?
The two will collide in the co-main event of UFC 319 on Saturday. Pico was initially linked to a showdown with Movsar Evloev, but he will instead get another unbeaten contender in Murphy. As far as the stakes of the matchup are concerned, Murphy doesn’t buy into the rankings talk.
Still, “The Miracle” told reporters that he is viewing this bout as an opportunity to compete for the UFC Featherweight Championship (via MMAJunkie).
“Beating Aaron Pico is going to put me in that No. 1 contender spot,” Murphy said. “He was supposed to fight Movsar, like you know, and Movsar got hurt or sick or whatever happened. So, I’m the replacement now. This is a No. 1 contender fight.”
Much has been made about the upcoming UFC debut for Pico, who has had a ton of buzz despite early setbacks in his career. The likes of former Bellator stars Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Patchy Mix couldn’t secure wins in their UFC debuts, although Freire recently picked up his first victory in the promotion over Dan Ige. Murphy revealed a key difference with Pico.
“… You go back to the likes of Patchy Mix and stuff like that, I just think that comes down to matchup. Also, these other guys that have come over that have not performed may not have been in their prime. I think Aaron Pico’s in his prime. So, I expect to see the best version of him.”
Some believe Pico may have already set himself up for failure with his back-and-forth exchanges with current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. If Pico can pick up an impressive win over Murphy, then buzz for a potential showdown with Volkanovski will reach a fever pitch. Murphy can play spoiler and get himself closer than ever to a UFC title opportunity on Saturday.