a stunning first-round spinning back elbow knockout<\/a>.<\/p>\nIt was the ninth straight win for Murphy, who is undefeated in 18 pro bouts (including one draw), and he used his post-fight microphone time to call for a shot at Volkanovski\u2019s belt.<\/p>\n
Volkanovski responded in kind, writing, \u201cSee you in December.\u201d<\/p>\n
A December UFC pay-per-view is yet to be announced, but Murphy is all in on facing Volkanovski at the traditional year-end show.<\/p>\n
\u201cDecember would be perfect for me,\u201d Murphy said at the UFC 319 post-fight press conference. \u201cGives me time to recharge, spend some time with the family, and then work on some bits and get better and come back better. December will be great to share the octagon with Volkanovski, one of the featherweight GOATs. Adding another scalp to my already quality r\u00e9sum\u00e9. \u2026 I\u2019ve had 10 fights in the UFC now, one draw, nine wins, it\u2019s time for a title fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy is yet to receive a title shot despite his spotless UFC record, which includes wins over ranked fighters Josh Emmett, Dan Ige, and Edson Barboza. One challenge Murphy faces is his lack of finishes as he had gone the distance in his past five fights.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t head into UFC 319 looking to change his style so he could knock Pico out, but he\u2019s pleased with how the fight played out.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to fight everybody differently,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cYou can\u2019t stand there and trade with Josh Emmett. It\u2019s just not smart. We\u2019ve seen what he does to guys that do that, so to get a knockout now, I\u2019m shutting them haters up anyway. I know I can do that, I know what I\u2019ve got in the bag, and I know that the best version of me has not been shown yet and I will show that in December.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other challenge Murphy has had to deal with is his aversion to avoid trash talk and hyperbole. Murphy isn\u2019t known for his meme-worthy promos, and that\u2019s fine with him as he believes his in-cage performance takes priority over anything else.<\/p>\n
\u201cI let my fighting do the talk,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cI let my elbows do the talking. The champ\u2019s calling me out now because he knows I should be next in line. I deserve it more than anybody else. Nobody\u2019s had five wins in the top 15, I\u2019ve had two main event slots, and that was a great knockout, so I deserve it more. Let\u2019s go, Volk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy and fellow countryman Paddy Pimblett could both be fighting for gold soon, with Pimblett campaigning to face rival and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. Should the stars align for Murphy and Pimblett, \u201cThe Miracle\u201d is thrilled at the suggestion that their title fights could take place on the same card.<\/p>\n
\u201cWow, that would be crazy,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cI\u2019ve not even heard that yet, but I think that would be the best card ever. Let\u2019s do that, let\u2019s do Volkanovski vs. Lerone Murphy and Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett and we\u2019ll blow the roof off.\u201d<\/p>\n
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