The circumstances may not be ideal, but Lerone Murphy sees clear value in stepping up to face Aaron Pico in his UFC debut.
Pico (13-4 MMA), a highly touted prospect making his first UFC appearance, was originally booked to face undefeated contender Movsar Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) at UFC on ABC 9 in Abu Dhabi. However, that matchup was scrapped after Evloev withdrew.
Now, Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) has agreed to take the fight on short notice, with the two set to square off at UFC 319 on August 16 in Chicago. Not only is Murphy risking his unblemished record, but he's also putting his top-15 featherweight status on the line—despite having just three weeks to prepare.
"The game's the game," Murphy explained on The Ariel Helwani Show. "From a business perspective, people would probably have said, 'You shouldn't take the fight. Sit out and wait for a big opportunity.' But it's like for me, I think this is a big opportunity. I just want to fight. I'm not getting no younger. I want to stay active, I want to fight. Who's to say when everybody else is going to be ready to fight?
"Everybody seems to get surgery and whatnot. So, do I want to sit out until December, November? No, I don't. I'm ready to go now. So, whoever, whenever. If I believe I can be champion, I've got to be able to fight anybody in any given moment, and that's it for me. I know it's a tough fight, I know it's a dangerous fight. Big risk, big reward. I'm happy, and I'm excited."
Holding the No. 6 ranking at featherweight, Murphy viewed the matchup as an opportunity to validate his spot and potentially distance himself from the chasing pack.
"It's a big opportunity for me, now in the position I'm in, to make some noise and try to get that No. 1 spot," Murphy said. "Because a fighter like me, who's quiet and whatnot, I've got to take these chances. They're not going to give me nothing for free."
