Ilia Topuria: Aljamain Sterling praises Ilia Topuria’s guts, shuts down criticism of Lerone Murphy’s fight style

Aljamain Sterling praises Ilia Topuria’s guts, shuts down criticism of Lerone Murphy’s fight style

Modified Apr 06, 2025 20:15 GMT

Aljamain Sterling praises Ilia Topuria along with backing Lerone Murphy. [Image Courtesy: Getty Images] — Aljamain Sterling praises Ilia Topuria along with backing Lerone Murphy. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Aljamain Sterling lauded Ilia Topuria and defended Lerone Murphy's approach for his UFC Vegas 105 main event encounter against Josh Emmett. Sterling's appreciation for Topuria came from his previous performance against Emmett.

Murphy maintained his undefeated record with a unanimous decision victory over Emmett. However, a significant chunk of the UFC fanbase resorted to criticizing Murphy even after his victory in the closely contested affair. Most of them had expected 'The Miracle' to be more aggressive instead of refraining from closing the distance and getting in Emmett's range.

However, in a recent X update, Sterling voiced his support for Murphy's approach for the fight. 'Funk Master' reminded Murphy's critics how dangerous Emmett could be inside his range. As a reason, Sterling also lauded Topuria's gutsy approach of closing the range on Emmett multiple times and flooring him during their fight at UFC on ABC 5 in 2023. He said:

"Anyone complaining about Lerone Murphy staying on his bike to stick and move, must forget what Emmett does to ppl that trade with him in the pocket. Which makes Topuria's win over Emmett so much more impressive IMHO. With those gloves, that’s bal*sy shit!"

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Check out Aljamain Sterling's post below:

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Aljamain Sterling is all in for a rematch against Movsar Evloev

Aljamain Sterling endured a unanimous decision defeat against Movsar Evloev in his previous fight at UFC 310. However, the closely contested nature of the affair stirred up a controversy related to its results.

Sterling may have accepted his defeat against Evloev sportingly. But he probably isn't over his rivalry with the Russian featherweight. One of his recent interactions with a fan on X showcased his eagerness for a rematch against Evloev.

The fan posed a question for Sterling on X, which read:

"Bruv, it might be crazy to even ask!!! Would you consider still a rematch against Movsar given how close the fight was ??? @funkmasterMMA"

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Sterling replied:

"1000%"

Check out Aljamain Sterling's response below:

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About the author

Souvik took up writing as his profession in 2019 and has worked for various publications, including EssentiallySports and The SportsRush since then.
While he holds a diploma in electrical engineering, Souvik’s love for combat sports and the written word has ensured a seamless transition to his current profession.
As of the UFC, Dustin Poirier is his favorite fighter. 'The Diamond's' respectful attitude in a trash-talk-heavy sport makes Souvik root for him. Poirier's five-round war against Dan Hooker in June 2020 is his all-time favorite MMA scrap to date.
Furthermore, he is of the opinion that MMA has taken over boxing as the world’s top combat sport due to the regularity of events.
Coming to his writing, Souvik will do everything to ensure that his pieces are informative and relevant, which is perhaps why one of his articles is still the most viewed in the MMA division of EssentiallySports.
Souvik’s other interests include singing (he’s a frontman for a rock band in Kolkata), playing guitar, and watching documentaries.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi