Lerone Murphy needed the judges’ scorecards on Saturday night to retain his unbeaten record by beating Josh Emmett in a frustrating featherweight main event.
The undefeated Brit had bested Edson Barboza and Dan Ige in his last two octagon outings, while Emmett had been out of action for well over a year. His last victory was a gruesome knockout win over the controversial Bryce Mitchell, which excites fans to this day.
Murphy put his 15-0-1 record on the line against veteran Emmett in front of a smaller crowd at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Elsewhere on the card, there were a number of exciting moments including the divisive debut of Torrez Finney.
Josh Emmett vs Lerone Murphy UFC Vegas 105 result
As a former interim title contender, Josh Emmett had more than double the experience of Lerone Murphy going into five round fights. He was marking five outings to the Brit’s two, and showed comfort as he tracked down his rival in the opening stanza.
Within two-and-a-half minutes Josh Emmett was opened up by a clash of heads that was instantly followed by a Murphy elbow. He wore the blood well and continued to throw big shots in his search for a finish.
The second round was much better for Murphy who quickly got up from any takedowns, including one big slam, and managed to land some big calf kicks that wobbled his rival.
Round three began with Murphy slipping to allow Emmett to control the action, but he showed expert takedown defence with his ability to elbow from against the cage. The round was temporarily stopped due to an eye poke from the Brit, which seems to be a regular issue these days.
It’s always a mixed bag when the UFC insists on running a show at the Apex in Las Vegas, with viewers on TV believing it vastly hurts the experience of watching. There was perhaps more of a crowd than usual, and they made for some degree of atmosphere throughout the night.
One fascinating moment on the undercard saw Irishman Rhys McKee brutalize and stop UFC newcomer Daniel Frunza. It was the first stoppage of the night, and one of just three KOs or TKOs on the undercard alongside Ode Osbourne’s second round knockout of the unbeaten Luis Gurule.
Chang Ho Lee and Cortavious Romious put on a barn burner midway through the undercard before the South Korean landed a stoppage of his own. He took top control and forced a stoppage with ground and pound, leading to the final KO of the undercard.
