UFC APEX – UFC featherweight Lerone Murphy is checking off some significant boxes as he gets set to fight Edson Barboza in his first main event bout at UFC Vegas 92 on Saturday night.
“(I found out) literally it was a text. ‘The matchmaker wants you to fight Edson Barboza five rounds’. My thoughts was wow this is my opportunity, this is my breakthrough,” Murphy told reporters on Wednesday.
“This is my time to shine now.”
Murphy (13-0-1) gets his first main event slot in his first time fighting in Las Vegas against the always dangerous Barboza. There isn’t much pressure when it comes to being the main event, but facing someone like Barboza is big for Murphy.
“Not really the aspect of being main event. It’s more so the big thing I’m fighting Edson Barboza, legend of the sport, dangerous fighter and that’s what excites me yeah,” he said.
The Manchester native isn’t shying away from the fact that he respects Barboza enough to call him a legend. It’s something that actually may help him in fights.
“I feel like that’s going to make me fight better because that fear factor, which I need, looking at my previous fights. If I don’t have that fear factor I don’t perform,” he said.
“So I feel like that’s going to bring the best out of me. Obviously I’m not going to be showing him too much respect in there. A fight’s a fight.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Lerone Murphy above. He takes on Edson Barboza in the headliner of UFC Vegas 92 on Saturday night.
