Chicago — Lerone Murphy has a rather unique match-up at UFC 319. With Movsar Evloev dropping out of a fight with Aaron Pico at UFC Abu Dhabi last month, it’s Murphy who now welcomes Pico to the UFC.
The Bellator star will be making his debut, and as such, he’s unranked. That doesn’t bother Murphy, who considers himself an MMA fan, and is well-versed on Pico.
“I don’t think rankings have anything to do with it. Most of the time they don’t mean anything,” Murphy (16-0-1) said on Wednesday, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press during the UFC 319 media day. “Everyone knows his level in the world, and he’s got a big name. For me, he’s ranked #3 or whatever, that’s how I’m looking at it. It’s a solid opponent, and a great match-up.”
For all the talk of octagon jitters, it’s hard to imagine anyone with as much experience as Pico really feeling the pressure. Still, it’s his UFC debut. Murphy feels it could be a factor, but he’s not banking on it.
“Everybody’s different, everybody handles pressure differently as well, so I’m not banking on that happening. But it’s a possibility. This is the biggest show in the world, and what an arena to make your debut. It could be a factor, yeah it could be a factor,” stated Murphy.
“This is the place to be, the UFC. Biggest fight organization in the world. You go back to the likes of Patchy Mix and stuff like that, I just think that just goes down to match-up. And also the other guys that have come over and not performed, may not have been in their prime. Aaron Pico is in his prime, so I expect to see the best version of him.”
With Pico originally booked opposite Evloev, the booking with Murphy arose all of three weeks ago. There’s a benefit in that, as Lerone Murphy hasn’t had to endure week after week of being asked about the debuting star.
“Mentally, I don’t want to be waking up thinking about the same guy for 12 weeks, so that’s a blessing,” he admitted. “I feel good physically and mentally, so yeah we’re all good.”
It worked out for another reason, as Murphy had “been asking for a fight,” though nothing had been offered. “I want to be active as much as possible before this thing’s done. Was waiting on the UFC to give me an opponent, but it seemed like everyone in front of me was injured,” he told Cageside Press.
Watch the full UFC 319 media day appearance by Lerone Murphy above. The card takes place this Saturday, August 16, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago, IL.
