Undefeated UFC fighter references Ilia Topuria as he aims to call for a title shot should he win at UFC Vegas 105

Undefeated UFC featherweight, Lerone Murphy, set to fight at UFC Vegas 105, cited Ilia Topuria’s path to title contention as a source of inspiration. Murphy will clash against Josh Emmett in the main event this weekend.

In his recent appearance on talkSPORT, Murphy made it clear that he will be demanding a title shot if he gets past Emmett, referencing how Topuria earned his title shot after defeating ‘CC0’ at UFC on ABC 5. He said:

“I’ve got a big job in front of me, a big task in front of me. But obviously, we know with a win, I’ll be asking for a title shot for sure. Ilia Topuria done it and I’ll be 16-0.”

Check out Lerone Murphy’s comments below (via @mma_orbit on X):

‘The Miracle’ has an MMA record of 15-0-1, while ‘El Leyenda’ earned his title shot with a record of 14-0.

Topuria fought for the title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, knocking out the Australian in the second round to claim the throne. Following that, the Spaniard made his first title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 308, knocking out ‘Blessed’ in the third round to retain the belt.

Recently, Topuria vacated the featherweight title to pursue double-champion status and has been demanding a direct title shot in the lightweight division against Islam Makhachev.

However, Makhachev and his team have dismissed the idea of fighting Topuria, emphasizing that he needs to prove his worth before demanding a title fight.

---

Ilia Topuria claims Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira fear fighting him

Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira have been trading verbal jabs as Topuria expressed his desire to face Oliveira to prove his worth for a title shot against Islam Makhachev. However, the Brazilian star has made it clear that he is not interested in fighting Topuria and instead wants a title fight against the pound-for-pound king.

Speaking with Alvaro Colmenero, Topuria revealed that he is preparing for both Oliveira and Makhachev and claimed that they are afraid to fight him. He explained:

"I'm preparing for Islam Makhachev. All of my training is actually focused on Islam or Charles, because I don't see any other opponents. So, I have two names in mind. Neither of them dare [to fight me]. Then they have these phrases they make their own, like, 'A champion will fight whoever they're told,' and so on, and then, 'I don't want to fight him, because he's small."

He continued:

"Then I change weight classes. I'm not small, I'm in the weight class now. Then they say that I haven't won enough. Well, these are symptoms of fear, we all know that, but it's normal. I'd be scared too."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below: