Exclusive: Lerone Murphy Targets UFC Return After Injury-Hit Loss to Movsar Evloev

Combat Evolved caught up with Lerone Murphy at Apex Combat & Conditioning while he helped teammate Aiden Lee prepare for his Cage Warriors featherweight title fight against Nik Bagley. The UFC featherweight reflected on his first professional defeat, the injury that hampered him against Movsar Evloev at UFC London, and why he still believes UFC gold remains his future.

Most fighters spend their careers trying to avoid defeat. Lerone Murphy is trying to learn from his one and only blemish on his UFC record.

When Murphy walked into London's O2 Arena in March for UFC London, he did so as an unbeaten man, with only a draw on his record. Five rounds later, Murphy had suffered the first loss of his career, dropping a closely contested decision to Movsar Evloev in the main event.

During the bout, Murphy sustained a torn hip flexor that would keep him out of training for months.

Rather than viewing the loss as a setback, the featherweight believes the defeat has sharpened his focus, reinforced his ambitions and provided motivation for a renewed charge towards UFC gold.

Since March, Murphy has spent time reviewing the fight and remains unconvinced the decision was the correct outcome.

"I think realistically it should have been a draw," he said. "I think I took two rounds, 100%. I took the second and the third, and the first round could have gone either way because nothing really happened in that round."

Ultimately, the judges awarded the fight to Evloev and, rather than dwelling on the result, Murphy has accepted the outcome.

"The judges gave it to him. That's it," he said. "It's not his fault."

Looking back on the performance, Murphy admits there were aspects of his approach that fell below the standards he sets for himself.

"I would apply more pressure," he said. "I just felt like I got in there and I was just fighting. I wasn't really thinking of any specific game plan."

Murphy makes no attempt to dress up his performance, but there is no sense of panic in his reflection either.

Rather, he views it as a necessary adjustment in mindset rather than a flaw in his ability.

By the later rounds, Murphy was no longer just dealing with Evloev’s pressure. A torn hip flexor injury in which he sustained during the fight was beginning to take effect, restricting the featherweight’s efforts inside the cage.

"I don't know how it actually happened," he said. "There's two points of the fight where it could have been. It could have been through the wrestling, or from a spinning elbow attempt where I landed awkwardly. I think it was that."

"It happened at the start of the fourth round maybe, or end of the third," he said. "I popped my hip and then I could feel it in the fight. Every kick I threw, I could feel it moving about."

Unlike many injuries that can be masked by adrenaline, Murphy says he knew immediately something was wrong.

"Usually when I get injured in a fight, I don't feel it until after," he said. "But I could feel this injury. That's how I knew it was bad."

Despite the major discomfort, Murphy continued through the remainder of the contest before ultimately dropping a decision on the scorecards.

The first defeat of his career has been absorbed as a learning curve rather than a setback.

For Murphy, the belief remains unchanged. He knows where he belongs in the UFC featherweight division.

"It's shown me I know I'm the best in the world," he said. "I didn't perform like I could have and the fight was still as close as it was."

That level of self-belief is strengthened by an understanding of the competition at the top of the division, a scene Murphy continues to follow closely.

"It's a good fight," he said of a potential clash between current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev. "But I just think Volkanovski takes it on points. He always finds a way to win."

After spending several months recovering from the injury, Murphy is now closing in on a return to the UFC later this year, with September or October firmly in his sights.

"I want to get out again this year," he said. "September, October I'll be out."

Potential destinations include the UFC's growing international schedule, with Murphy open to returning in either Paris or Abu Dhabi.

"I'd love to fight in Paris," he said. "The crowds are probably the best in the world. I've been to the last two shows and it's immense."

Regardless of the location or opponent, Murphy's focus remains firmly on the future.

The long-term plan has not shifted. Despite the injury and defeat, Murphy remains fixated on one objective: UFC featherweight gold.

The Evloev fight may go down as the first loss on his professional record, but in Murphy's mind it has only reinforced what he believes about his ceiling in the division.

"The comeback is going to be the best comeback of all time," he said. "I'm going to be locked in and I'm going to take somebody out. Simple."

The road to a UFC featherweight title may have taken an unexpected detour, but Murphy insists the destination remains exactly the same.

This exclusive interview was filmed at Apex Combat & Conditioning in Manchester.