Alexander Volkanovski Reacts to Lerone Murphy’s KO Victory at UFC 319

Lerone Murphy created a moment at UFC 319. | Getty/UFC

Lerone
Murphy might have called his shot.

In the immediate aftermath of his spectacular spinning back elbow
knockout of Aaron Pico
in the
UFC 319 co-headliner, Murphy made his case for a featherweight
championship opportunity.

“This sport’s all about moments, and I just created one,” Murphy
said in his post-fight interview. “I needed something like this.
I’m next in line. Let’s go [Alexander] Volkanovski.”

Murphy’s UFC winning streak now stands at nine, with other notable
victories against the likes of Josh Emmett,
Dan Ige
and Edson
Barboza. However, “The Iceman” hadn’t finished a fight in
nearly four years, so his latest performance was especially
significant.

Volkanovski Welcomes New Challenger

It also appears that Volkanovski took notice of Murphy’s work and
subsequent callout.

“See you in December [Lerone
Murphy]. Congrats,” Volkanovski wrote on X.

Volkanovski regained the 145-pound belt with a unanimous decision
triumph over Diego Lopes
at UFC 314 this past April. His initial championship reign included
five successful title defenses before he relinquished the strap to
Ilia
Topuria in a knockout loss at UFC 298.