"He needs to slow down", "You are not Ilia" - Fans react as Lerone Murphy shuns fake antics and eyes Ilia Topuria’s UFC title path

Lerone Murphy's plan to fight for the featherweight title with a victory over Josh Emmet seemingly found detractors in MMA fans. As Ilia Topuria fought for the title after a victory over Emmet, Murphy felt he could follow the same path.

Murphy is undefeated in the UFC and has racked up seven consecutive wins in the promotion. He is set to take on interim title challenger Emmett in the upcoming UFC Vegas 105 main event.

'The Miracle' shared his plans for the featherweight title fight during the UFC Vegas 105 media day.

"I'm fighting number eight in the world. Josh Emmett's been around. Ilia Topuria went on to fight for the title after Josh Emmett. So for me, this is the number one contender fight. I feel like behind Lopez and Volkanovski, who are fighting the week after, I think this is the best fight in the division. For me, this is the number one contender fight. So yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Murphy said.

Check out Lerone Murphy's comment below (2:14):

Unfortunately for Murphy, fight fans do not seem to agree with his plan. One of them pointed out that the undefeated Movsar Evloev is the rightful No. 1 contender, saying:

"He needs to slow down. Evloev is next and he knows that"

Another fan dismissed Murphy while praising Topuria, commenting:

"The problem is...you are not Ilia"

Interestingly, a fan seemingly agreed with Murphy, writing:

"Topuria and Yair both got title shots off of Emmett. He's the golden goose."

Check out more comments below:

Screenshot of comments [Image Source - @MMAJunkie on X]

Screenshot of comments [Image Source - @MMAJunkie on X]

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Lerone Murphy shares what he learned from Ilia Topuria's last fight

Lerone Murphy's last fight was at UFC 308, where Ilia Topuria defended the featherweight title with a knockout victory over Max Holloway. Following the PPV event, where he defeated Dan Ige, Murphy appeared on the Ariel Helwani Show.

During the interview, Helwani quipped Murphy on what he learned from seeing Topuria's fight against Holloway.

"That fight, for me, was like boom. I had to watch that fight and see the levels and think, 'Yeah, right, that's where I need to aim for.' I've got a lot of work to do, a lot of work to do," Murphy replied.

'The Miracle' even honestly admitted that he can't fight Topuria like he fought Ige, and shared when he will fight for the title.

"Can't be making the mistakes I was making on Saturday night against guys like that, and you go to sleep straight away. So, go back to the drawing board. Got work to do. And I believe I'm still two fights away," Murphy added.

Check out Lerone Murphy's comments below (9:41):