Lerone Murphy viciously knocked out Aaron Pico with a spinning backfist in a late-notice co-main event on Saturday night.
Former Bellator featherweight Pico managed to get out of his PFL contract earlier this year, and immediately made his way to the UFC. He instantly made his intentions clear as he booked a fight with the unbeaten number one contender Movsar Evloev.
However, the fight was ultimately cancelled and Brit Murphy; himself ranked number six and without defeat, stepped up to save the day in Chicago.
Lerone Murphy vs Aaron Pico UFC 319 result
It took just seconds for the pair to each land big right hands, with Aaron Pico stumbling Lerone Murphy and making him take a knee in the early exchange. The ex-Bellator star flew out of the traps looking for the knockout shot but was caught in a choke that forced him to reconsider.
Murphy made his way back to the feet before being taken straight back down by wrestling prodigy Pico, who couldn’t quite do any damage with the few shots he landed. It was certainly a much less lethargic performance than many other ex-Bellator stars coming over to the UFC in the early moments.
However, as Pico looked to aggressively push the position, Murphy spun around and landed a perfect backfist that instantly rendered the 28-year-old unconscious with just over a minute left on the clock.
It was the second spinning elbow knockout in a row on the night after Carlos Prates’ brutal defeat of Geoff Neal in the previous bout.
Murphy and Michael ‘Venom’ Page represented UK in exciting UFC 319 main card
It was a big night for British MMA in Chicago as the returning Michael ‘Venom’ Page grabbed yet another exciting decision victory in his unexpected new career at middleweight. The London Shootfighters star never wanted to move up in weight, but was forced due to what he called ‘politics’ at 170lb.
Page debuted at the weight earlier this year when he comfortably outpointed fan favorite Shara Magomedov in Saudi Arabia. And despite wanting to move back down, he accepted a fight with the veteran Jared Cannonier instead.
The Brit made an entrance as usual before styling on the long-time divisional gatekeeper in the opening two rounds. He dropped Cannonier and at times pushed him to the ground, but was made to work for it as he lost the third and ended up taking a unanimous decision.
“I wanted to push a little bit more in the third round,” he told Joe Rogan post-fight. “I made a silly mistake. Bloody hell, he is strong on top.”