If Lerone Murphy is clear to compete in Manchester, England, at UFC 304, he would love to do it. No matter what, he believes he’s ready for some of the top names in the featherweight division — including Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett.
Murphy delivered a dominant performance in the main event of UFC Vegas 92 this past weekend, winning a unanimous decision over Edson Barboza. The 32-year-old did take some damage, but when asked if there were names on his mind for his next fight — especially if it took place in his home city of Manchester in July — he mentioned two of the more popular matchmaking suggestions.
“I feel like the Kattar fight and the Emmett fight would be amazing fights,” Murphy said on The MMA Hour. “They’d be good matchups for me to go out there and put another show on. I just want big fights now. My confidence is high. I just want big fights.
“Anybody in that top 10, I’m ready for now. I just want to keep fighting and keep the momentum going.”
“The Miracle” is unbeaten in his pro MMA career, including a 6-0-1 start to his UFC tenure, which includes victories over Joshua Culibao and Makwan Amirkhani.
Murphy suffered some facial swelling, bruising, and the fallout of taking leg kicks from a lethal striker like Barboza, but as long as a doctor clears him to compete in two months’ time, he says he’ll do all he can to fight at home at the UFC’s July 27 pay-per-view event.
“For me, if the nose isn’t broken, I’m fighting at [UFC 304],” Murphy said. “I’m looking to fight because I feel good. I know the bruising, all of the swelling will go down in a week, and they’re not going to put me in a main event, obviously. It will be a three-rounder, I’m already fit. Two weeks off [of] training, I’m not going to lose anything there, so I’ll be able to get right back into camp.
“But we’ll see. I’m not rushing anything. I’ll see how the body is, and if it’s a go, it’s a go.”
