Exclusive/ 'Everything happens for a reason': UFC Fighter Lerone Murphy On Overcoming Life-Altering Injury

With some much-anticipated fights, mega UFC 308 event is upon us. premium event features an elite card, heed by a fight that every MMA fan all over world would be intrigued about. undefeated Fearweight Champion Ilia Topuria will take on division's veteran, Max Holloway, who also happens to be UFC BMF Champion. winner will not only take home Fearweight Title but also bragging rights of being undisputed king of 145lbs weight class.

Aside from contest in main event, main card features anor Fearweight fight, where as well an undefeated fighter is protagonist. rising sensation Lerone Murphy has h quite journey. Having picked Football as first career option, Murphy suffered a heartbreak when his dreams ceased due to a serious knee injury when he was just 16. Struck by a setback, Young Turk did not give up on making a mark in field of sports and as destiny h it, same individual is now a formidable force at premier dais of MMA.

With intention of climbing ranking table and emerging as number one contender for Fearweight title, Lerone Murphy will square off against Dan Ige at UFC 308, a fight which could give him a furr push on ranking table, should he win. Ahe of battle, Lerone Murphy engaged in a brief one-to-one with Republic World. He gracefully answered all our queries and was expressive through his dialect.

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Here are excerpts from conversation:

On Fighting Dan Ige

I expect a tough battle from Ige, and I anticipate him trying to bring fight to me. We trained for that, and I will stick to my game plan against him. Dan Ige is a good fighter with a lot of experience, and I know it will be a tough test, but I am rey.

What Future Holds

If I win, I want to face anyone in top 10. I’m focused on climbing rankings and working my way toward title. Whoever I fight next doesn’t matter; it just needs to be a step closer to that goal.

Balancing Life Outside Fight World

Balancing life is hard. When you have a fight, it consumes your thoughts, making it challenging to focus on anything else. For me, I love food, which doesn’t help since I’m always dieting, but I also cherish spending time with my family. I enjoy playing video games with my son and teaching him how to fight.

Ideal Figure In MMA

I mire fighters like Khabib (Nurmagomedov). He’s very respectable and doesn’t play games in cage. I think he sets a great example for youth.

On Coping With Injury That Ended Football Aspirations and Introduction To MMA World

For me, everything happens for a reason, and my journey led me to this path. MMA started for me because I loved watching combat sports. I never thought I’d actually fight, but I began training and fell in love with it. Now, it’s my full-time career, and I hope to make a good living from it and go all way.

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On Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway

It’s a very tough fight, and I’m honestly 50-50 on it. I keep changing my mind between Topuria and Holloway, but I lean more toward Topuria.

Wher Undefeated Stature ds To Pressure

It depends on perspective. Some people say you can’t lose, but ultimately, you don’t want to lose at all. For me, I have seven fights in UFC with no losses, so I feel less pressure.

I believe more wins I can accumulate without losing, better. Once you start losing, that’s when pressure increases. However, I’m not worried about it. My main focus is end goal: to become champion. I’ve said it many times: I never want to lose, and I always aim to keep winning. But if I do, I know I can bounce back from it. I’ve come back from worse, and as long as I become champion, I’m good.

*Watch UFC 308 - Topuria vs Holloway LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu) on October 26,2024 from 11:30 PM. Sony Sports Network is official brocaster of UFC in India.