Movsar Evloev defeats Lerone Murphy in a battle of undefeated fighters at UFC London and demands a title shot.

In the important duel of undefeated fighters, valid for the featherweight division (up to 65,8 kg), Movsar Evloev came out on top . In the main event of UFC London , held this Saturday (21), the Russian defeated Lerone Murphy by majority decision in hostile territory, silencing the fans present at the O2 Arena. Now, with the new high-level name in his record, the athlete is even closer to the long-awaited fight for the belt.

It's true that, despite his excellent standing in the division, it's impossible to definitively say Evloev will be the next opponent for champion Alexander Volkanovski . This is because fans and the UFC's top brass have already shown they aren't particularly fond of the fighter, largely due to his inactivity. Furthermore, the always exciting Jean Silva is also still in the running for a title shot.

In any case, the Russian did his part and, aware of his good track record, not only reinforced his desire to challenge the MMA legend, but also urged the UFC to officially announce his title fight. Showing fair play, Murphy, defeated at home, supported his tormentor and stressed that he deserved to fight champion Volkanovski. It is worth noting that Evloev, ranked first in the featherweight division, has 20 wins, the biggest being against Aljamain Sterling , Arnold Allen , Diego Lopes , and Lerone himself.

Five round war

Fighting at home, Murphy took the initiative, landing kicks and punches on Evloev. Cautious, Evloev tried to close the distance with Murphy and threw some well-placed strikes. Back and forth, the pair exchanged low kicks and body shots. Gaining confidence, Evloev startled Murphy with a cross. In response, Murphy landed the same punch. Powerful, Murphy landed a good straight right on Evloev, who responded with an overhand. In the final seconds, Evloev tried to surprise Murphy with a spinning backfist, but missed.

In the second round, the fighters didn't slow down and exchanged punches and kicks. More developed on his feet, Murphy landed straight punches, jabs, and a series of kicks. Cautious, Evloev also attacked Murphy, but with less volume. Focused, Murphy prevented Evloev from closing the distance with kicks and threats of counter knees. Evloev continued moving forward, but was hit more than he landed on his opponent. A striking specialist, Murphy showed his high level and landed the best blows on Evloev.

In the third round, Evloev capitalized on a knee strike from Murphy to take him down, but couldn't control him on the ground. Standing, Murphy landed a powerful cross and a straight right on Evloev. Comfortable in the striking exchanges, Murphy tried to surprise Evloev with a spinning kick. In turn, Evloev also landed a kick to Murphy's midsection and an overhand. Quicker, Murphy hit Evloev with the same strike and a straight right. In the final stretch, Evloev attacked Murphy and landed a beautiful kick to the midsection, a straight right and jabs, finishing stronger.

In the fourth round, Evloev landed a second unintentional illegal strike on Murphy and lost a point. At a disadvantage, Evloev went after Murphy, took him down, and gained confidence. After the scare, Murphy tried to surprise Evloev with a reverse elbow strike, but was unsuccessful. Evloev landed a beautiful jab on Murphy. Then, Evloev repeatedly took Murphy down, took his back, but lost the position. Standing, Murphy tried to defend himself, giving Evloev a chance to attack. While throwing a high kick, Murphy lost his balance, fell, and received powerful punches from Evloev.

In the fifth and final round, the fighters exchanged punches. Evloev continued advancing and easily took Murphy down. On the ground, Evloev fought back and landed punches. Physically superior, Evloev landed a series of takedowns on Murphy, who got back to his feet. Standing, Murphy, even tired, landed a powerful straight punch on Evloev. In turn, Evloev continued to rely on jabs and kicks. In the final minute, Evloev landed two takedowns on Murphy, but did not cause any real damage.

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UFC London results

MAIN CARD

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Movsar Evloev defeated Lerone Murphy by majority decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47)

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Luke Riley defeated Michael Aswell Jr. by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Michael Page defeated Sam Patterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Light heavyweight (up to 92,9 kg): Iwo Baraniewski defeated Austen Lane by technical knockout (strikes) at 4:32 of round 1.

Middleweight (up to 83,9 kg): Christian Leroy Duncan defeated Roman Dolidze by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Danny Silva defeated Kurtis Campbell by technical knockout (punches) at 4:29 of round 2.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Mason Jones defeated Axel Sola by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Nathaniel Wood defeated Losene Keita by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Mario Pinto defeated Felipe Franco by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Middleweight (up to 83,9 kg): Mantas Kondratavicius defeated Antonio Trocoli by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-27)

Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Brandon Pericic defeated Louie Sutherland by technical knockout (punches) at 1:48 of round 1.

Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady defeated Shem Rock by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Strawweight (up to 52,1 kg): Shanelle Dyer defeated Ravena Oliveira by technical knockout (strikes) at 1:17 of round 2.

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