LERONE MURPHY feels primed and ready to make a run to the featherweight title.
The undefeated Manchester mauler picked up the biggest victory of his career in May in the main event of UFC Vegas 92.
Murphy, 32, dominated ferocious kicker Edson Barboza over five straight rounds to score a decision win in the biggest spot of his MMA career and enter the stacked 145lbs rankings.
Murphy was ice cold, calm and collected as he put on a clinic against fan favourite Barboza, but there was a brief moment when the magnitude of the occasion – and the opponent – got to him.
He told SunSport: “When he first stepped in the cage that [holy s**t] was a little moment that I had.
“But other than that, it was like, ‘Boom, switch on. It’s just another fight.’ And I zoned in then.
“I felt like I enjoyed seeing him coming to the cage and thinking, ‘Yes, this is Edson Barboza.'”
The reality that he could become the latest addition to Barboza’s incredible highlight reel saw Murphy dial in like he’s never done before.
“I switched on then,” he continued. “And I probably haven’t been that switched on for a while.”
“I knew what danger I was in and that’s what made me perform.”
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Murphy’s entering of the rankings throws up the possibility of several mouthwatering match-ups, a fact he’s all too aware of.
But despite being on the path to a title shot, he’s refusing to label himself a true contender.
“For me, it’s just numbers,” Murphy said of his spot in the rankings. “They’re going to chop and change and all times.
“For me, it’s all about the title and getting into title contention. And I feel like once you get into that top five, that’s when you’re a true contender.
“Obviously, I’m grateful and I know it’s a milestone, like you said, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do yet.”
UK MMA fans were hoping Murphy – who survived being shot in the face 11 years ago – would avoid injury and land a spot on the UFC’s return to Manchester on July 27.
The card, however, is completely full – meaning he’ll have to watch on from the sidelines as he did back in 2016.
Not competing at UFC 304 will give Murphy adequate time to rest and recover fro whomever the promotion throws at him next.
“I feel like they all excite me,” Murphy said of the featherweights ranked ahead of him. “Because everybody in that top ten, I’ve watching these guys for years.
“These guys are all big names, every single one of them is a big name.
“That’s why the UFC are probably happy I got the win.
“It’s all fresh match-ups now because I’ve not fought anybody in that top ten.
“It’s exciting times and I feel like they’re all good match-ups.”
Having watched the elder statesmen of the featherweight division do their thing for several years, Murphy has two names in particular he’s hoping to throw down with next.
He said: “I’ve been looking at the names and I feel like a good match-up for me would be a Josh Emmett, maybe, or a Calvin Kattar.
“There are a lot of fighters in there [I’d like to fight] and I feel that all the fights are good fights.
“But in terms of styles, styles if you like, those types of fights will bring the best out of me.”
Despite currently being ranked at No.11, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Murphy finds himself fighting for UFC gold within the next six to eight months – provided he gets some showstopping finishes.
That fact isn’t lost on the Manchester Top Team star, who said: “I feel like it’s performance-based.
“Say you go in there and you have a crazy performance or a crazy finish and everybody is talking about you, the UFC will catapult you right into that spot.
“They’re always looking for new contenders. [Brian] Ortega has fought for the belt a few times, Yair [Rodriguez] – they want new guys in there.
“So let’s try to get a big performance, a big win and see what happens.”
