MMA Preview – Edson Barboza vs Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Night 241
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EDSON BARBOZA VS LERONE MURPHY FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 241? Saturday 18th May, 2024 - 22:00 (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 241? UFC Apex, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 241? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 241 on? TNT Sports 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 241? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
EDSON BARBOZA VS LERONE MURPHY LOWDOWN
Edson Barboza (24-11) headlines his fifth UFC card in his 30th appearance for the promotion. It is remarkable that he is still competing with the best at this stage of his career and even more so after dropping down to featherweight. He suffered a big setback after getting TKO’d by Giga Chikadze (2021) and ragdolled by Bryce Mitchell (2022). However, he bounced back with a brutally vintage knee knockout to Billy Quarantillo (2023) and classy unanimous decision over Sodiq Yusuff (2023).
Lerone Murphy (13-0(1)) finds himself at the top of a UFC card for the first time in his career and it will also be the first time fighting on American soil. His first four fights were in Abu Dhabi stringing together impressive performances including knockouts over Ricardo Ramos (2020) and Makwan Amirkhani (2021). He fought twice last year in London earning hard-fought decisions over Gabriel Santos and Joshua Culibao.
EDSON BARBOZA VS LERONE MURPHY PREDICTION
We know exactly what to expect from Barboza by now. He will base his game on his takedown defence and look to fire off his devastating striking. He is extremely technical and explosive targeting the legs and body.
He has some of the very best kicks on the roster and is a significant step-up in competition for the Manchurian who is the favourite. Murphy is very well-rounded, but he has a lot of potential to fill, and his experience does not compare to Barboza’s.
To get past the Brazilian, he needs to enforce his own game plan of applying the pressure and mixing in his takedowns. He is a quality striker himself, but he has to conduct the tempo as he will be walking into a woodchipper if Barboza finds his rhythm.
Barboza makes all the sense. He is the better striker and beaten better fighters. He not only has experience fighting the best fighters in the world, but he also has five-round experience which Murphy does not have.
That said, Murphy has not hit his prime yet and has the striking to compete and the grappling to take Barboza down and assume control time. He does not know how to lose and has the power to crumple the weathered chin.
This is going to a fiercely competitive scrap, and we are leaning towards the veteran causing the upset.
Prediction: Barboza via Decision
Value Bet: Barboza to win
