The #10-ranked featherweight contender looks to secure the biggest win of his career in his second main event.
With a record of 15-0-1, Lerone Murphy has overcome some incredible adversity in life to get to this stage of his career.
Since recording a split draw on his UFC debut back in 2019, Murphy has put in some spectacular performances to rack up seven consecutive wins inside the Octagon.
The 33-year-old’s next test comes against a dangerous veteran in Josh Emmett who has produced some of the most devastating knockouts in the history of the promotion.
Murphy called for this fight after his win over Dan Ige at UFC 308 knowing exactly what he’s signing up for as he tries to preserve his undefeated record which has proven to be a difficult task in 2025.
18 UFC fighters have lost their undefeated records already in 2025
Being an undefeated fighter in MMA may not carry the same weight as it does in boxing but it still generates a lot of hype and excitement.
Lerone Murphy is a great example of a competitor who has been tested in numerous fights despite the fact that he is yet to taste defeat.
The same cannot be said for a staggering 18 fighters who have suffered the first losses of their careers in the UFC so far this year.
There have been 11 events throughout the first quarter of 2025 ahead of UFC Vegas 105 on April 5 where the featherweights take center stage in the main event.
The very first UFC card of the year, a Fight Night event headlined by Mackenzie Dern vs Amanda Ribas 2 on January 11, saw two fighters lose their 0 after Magomed Gadzhiyasulov and Austin Bashi both suffered unanimous decision defeats.
Incredibly, the following event, UFC 311 on January 18, saw four fighters lose their undefeated records with Umar Nurmagomedov, Payton Talbott, Rinya Nakamura and Clayton Carpenter all falling on the wrong side of the win column.
Other notable losses that ruined perfect records include Shara Magomedov’s defeat against Michael ‘Venom’ Page in Saudi Arabia, Tatiana Suarez’s loss to Zhang Weili in the co-main event of UFC 312, Road to UFC winner Rei Tsuruya’s decision setback against Joshua Van and Mick Parkin’s closely contested loss to Marcin Tybura in London.
Colby Thicknesse, Kody Steele, Jean Matsumoto, Julius Walker, Danny Barlow, Diyar Nurgozhay, Josias Musasa and Yuneisy Duban make up the other names.
Three undefeated fighters are set to be in action this Saturday night at the Apex with Murphy, Torrez Finney and Luis Gurule all looking to extend their winning streaks at the UFC Apex.
Lerone Murphy has overcome some tough tests to make it this far
Having an undefeated record in MMA is great but being tested in your career is far more important and Lerone Murphy can tick both boxes.
He’s been through some difficult moments in fights but has found a way to come out on top aside from the controversial draw on his debut against Zubaira Tukhugov.
In matchups with Dan Ige and Gabriel Santos, ‘The Miracle’ had to dig deep in order to get his hand raised and that will only serve him well going forward.
If Murphy is able to get past Josh Emmett on April 5, he will cement himself as a major player in the featherweight division who hasn’t had an easy road to the top.