LERONE MURPHY demanded a title shot from Dana White following his sensational first-round spinning elbow KO of Aaron Pico.
The Manchester ‘Miracle’ locked horns with the former Bellator standout early this morning in the co-main event of UFC 319 in Chicago.
LERONE MURPHY SLEEPS AARON PICO IN ROUND 1!!!!
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 17, 2025
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! #UFC319 pic.twitter.com/dyhx2S3O7c
Murphy put his eight-fight win streak on the line in his clash with the former uber-prospect, which he had just THREE WEEKS to prepare for.
The Manchester Top Team standout was hoping a dominant victory over the American would earn him the next crack at featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski .
And he staked his claim to be champion Alexander Volkanovski’s next outing with viral KO of Californian clubber Pico, which saw him move to 9-0 in MMA ‘s top promotion.
“I’m next in line,” he roared in his post-fight interview wth Joe Rogan . “Let’s go, Volkanovski!”
Pico immediately took the centre of the octagon and put Murphy on the back foot before going to work with vicious body shots against the cage.
Murphy remained composed and landed a nasty short elbow in tight before briefly being taken down.
He looked to establish distance with a long teep and strikes from distance but was taken down again just before the two-minute mark.
SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN
But he managed to return to his feet again and landed a beautiful knee to the body, which echoed throughout the arena just before the midway point of the round.
Pico continued to pressure and look for clinches across the fence.
And Murphy beautifully timed his entry with a sensational spinning elbow KO to punch his ticket to a title shot.
Pico was out cold before he even hit the canvas and Muprhy landed an academic hammerfist, which he pulled back on.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
