Lerone Murphy isn’t waiting around for guarantees anymore. As the featherweight division reshuffles yet again, the unbeaten Brit has reached a familiar conclusion: nothing is promised in the UFC unless you force the issue yourself. And ahead of his five-round showdown with Movsar Evloev in London, ‘The Miracle’ has decided exactly how he plans to do that.

Some fans might be asking, why this fight? Why now? But Murphy didn’t pretend it was a surprise. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, he explained that once the division settled after UFC 325, the matchup almost booked itself.

According to him, “Just a few weeks ago, it was a few weeks ago, but obviously, seeing the way the division mapped out. It was obvious that they was gonna go with that fight.”

Still, the bigger question hangs in the air: Does the winner really get the title shot? Murphy isn’t naïve. When asked whether the UFC and Dana White had promised him a crack at Alexander Volkanovski with a win, his answer was blunt, “At this point, words are wind. It’s like the division’s forever changing and it’s a performance based company. Someone’s got to go out there and put on a good fight and then it’s nothing’s concrete. Nothing’s concrete, but I hope so.”

That line says a lot about how Murphy views the business. Hope isn’t strategy; performance is. And that’s where his frustration quietly turns into a demand. Does he need a viral knockout to convince Dana White and the matchmakers? Lerone Murphy doesn’t think so. In fact, he thinks that framing misses the point entirely.

As he explained, “I believe the matchmakers know what type of matchup this is. I think it would be unfair to say you’ve got to go out there and get a crazy knockout to get the title. Everybody knows what type of fight this is going to be and what type of fighter I’m fighting against. So I think the winner, the winners should be undeniably next in line for the title. Simple.”

The Brit knows this isn’t a showcase fight. It’s a grinder. The kind of matchup that doesn’t flatter anyone but exposes everything. And that’s exactly why he believes the result should speak for itself. So how does he plan to beat a man many consider the most difficult out at 145 pounds?

Murphy didn’t dance around it as he told Ariel Helwani, “Movsar is elite. Very good fighter. But I just believe I’m going to take him into deep waters. It’s no secret what I’m going to do in it. It’s going to be defensive wrestling and vicious offence, and that’s it.”

‘The Miracle’s the plan is simple but brutal: keep the pressure cranked up the entire fight, force Evloev into a mistake, and hunt the knockout nonstop from the opening bell to the final horn. That confidence isn’t reckless. It’s informed by context.

Evloev enters London at 19-0, ranked at the top of the division, but he hasn’t fought since late 2024. Lerone Murphy, meanwhile, built serious momentum in 2025 with statement wins over Josh Emmett and Aaron Pico, the latter even earning ‘Knockout of the Year’ nods from many sources.

After all, styles matter, but so does rhythm. Five rounds in London isn’t just about skill; it’s about who can maintain intent when fatigue starts asking questions. And looming above all of this is the champion, Alexander Volkanovski. He just turned back Diego Lopes again at UFC 325 and immediately called for a quick turnaround, but now it’s not just Lerone Murphy who is aiming for a shot at the crown!

Jean Silva throws his name in the middle of Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev’s title campaign

Once Alexander Volkanovski closed the book on Diego Lopes again at UFC 325, the queue behind him got loud and crowded. Fresh off his unanimous decision win in Sydney, ‘The Great’ made it clear he wants to stay active. Three fights in 2026 is the goal. So who gets next? That’s where things get interesting.

Murphy wasted no time reminding people that he feels overlooked. After his spinning back elbow knockout of Aaron Pico, he believes the case was already closed. As he put it on X, “Told you so. I believe I have the style to dethrone the champ.” It’s a confident claim, and not an empty one.

Mosvar Evloev, meanwhile, is playing the long game. The Russian contender praised the champion’s performance but made his intentions clear. He said he’s eager to share the cage with the champ and prove he’s different from the rest, not just another challenger, but a unique problem Volkanovski hasn’t dealt with yet.

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And then there’s Jean Silva. After rebounding from a title eliminator loss with a gritty win over Arnold Allen at UFC 324, he framed the debate less about resumes and more about responsibility. “A champion’s responsibility is to defend the belt,” Silva wrote. “It doesn’t matter who it’s against. If the company puts someone in front of you, you fight. Champions don’t pick opponents. Champions defend.”

As his interview with Ariel Helwani indicated, Lerone Murphy believes the answer should be simple: the winner of the London clash is “undeniably next.” Yet history tells us nothing in this division is ever that clean. Now it remains to be seen if Murphy or Evloev can solidify their claim on a shot at the king, or if Jean Silva disrupts both their plans!