Manchester native Lerone Murphy maintained his undefeated record, dominating Josh Emmett to secure a unanimous decision victory at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
During the anticipated top-10 clash, Murphy showcased sharp striking for the full 25 minutes, successfully neutralizing Emmett`s strong wrestling background to claim the win.
The judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 in favor of Murphy (now 16-0-1 in MMA), a result that ties him with Russia`s Movsar Evloev for the longest active winning streak in the UFC`s featherweight class.
“Easy work,” commented Murphy, who immediately set his sights on a potential featherweight title shot later in the year. “I want the title, but I`ll fight anyone in the top five or top three. Let`s go.”
He added, “I aim to keep this momentum going, reach the championship, and remain active. I`d like to have two more fights before the year ends.”
Emmett (19-5 MMA), currently ranked eighth in the division (two spots ahead of Murphy), was returning to the Octagon after a break since December 2023 at 40 years old.
In the featherweight co-main event, Pat Sabatini (20-5 MMA) dominated Joanderson Brito (17-5-1 MMA) with extensive ground control, leading to a decisive unanimous decision victory with scores of 30-26, 30-26, and 30-27.
The main card continued with Brad Tavares winning his middleweight fight against Gerald Meerschaert (37-19 MMA) and Chang Ho Lee securing a victory in his bantamweight bout against Cortavious Romious (9-4 MMA).
Tavares (21-10 MMA) also won by unanimous decision, while Ho Lee (11-1 MMA) finished his opponent via stoppage after gaining mount position less than two rounds in.
Ode Osbourne delivered a swift performance in his flyweight bout against Luis Gurule, securing a second-round TKO with a barrage of punches. This result marked the first professional loss for Gurule (10-1 MMA) and ended Osbourne`s (13-8 MMA) recent three-fight losing streak.
Middleweight fighter Torrez Finney (now 11-0 MMA) kicked off the UFC Vegas 105 main card, earning his first victory under the promotion with a split-decision win over Robert Valentin (10-5 MMA).
