The UFC 319 lineup has now got a major boost after rising star Aaron Pico is now set to face undefeated Lerone Murphy in the co-main event. Pico was originally slated to take on Movsar Evloev during the UFC’s recent trip to Abu Dhabi. However, Evloev pulled out ahead of the bout at the last moment. Rather than keeping Pico on that card, the promotion opted to shift him to the August 16 event in Chicago, where he’ll now step into the spotlight at the United Center. Pico’s new opponent, Lerone Murphy, boasts an unblemished 16-0-1 record in his career.

His lone draw came in his UFC debut back in 2019 against Zubaira Tukhugov. Since then, he’s gone on a tear, racking up eight straight wins in the promotion. His most recent outings include a hard-fought decision over Josh Emmett in April, following a notable victory over Dan Ige. The 34-year-old has impressed one and all with the control he has shown in his fights. However, he now needs to make certain changes in his style, as revealed by Matty Betts while speaking on the Show Me The Money podcast.

While speaking on the show alongside Renato Moicano and Gilbert Burns, Betts seemed impressed with Murphy’s career so far. However, moving forward, he wants him to try and finish fights to help him achieve more star power. Betts said, “The guy has nine decision wins out of 16 wins, seven KO’s. The only thing I’ll say about Lerone Murphy is someone who actually watches his fights. I just feel like he doesn’t step on the gas and seek finishes. I just wanna see him go for those finishes. I feel like that could help him with some more star power. If he can get some highlight KOs.” The Brazilian fighter Moicano also chimed in and compared him to the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov and the approach he used in his career.

Moicano urged him to stick to his game plan but warned him about the consequences. He said, “And there is nothing wrong with that. If your style, keep doing that. You know. But that not going to bring you fans. Khabib was like that, he didn’t care about the fans.” However. Burns pointed out that there’s always a scope to change your game plan and gave the example of Kamaru Usman. He said, “Kamaru was like that when he was coming up. Kamaru was getting a lot of decisions, but then eventually he got the finish.” Well, it will be interesting to see whether Murphy changes his approach in his upcoming fight or not.

Social chatter on X and Reddit shows fans questioning whether Pico’s debut should have come against a top contender like Evloev, or if this matchup undervalued his hype. On r/MMA one fan said: “Pico didn’t deserve a fight with Evloev anyway,” arguing Murphy is a safer stylistic matchup.

But why did the 34-year-old agree to take the fight on such short notice? Let us find out about it below.

Lerone Murphy feels he doesn’t have time to pick and choose fights at this stage

Though the circumstances are less than perfect, Murphy sees a golden opportunity in being the one to welcome Pico to the UFC stage. The undefeated featherweight contender isn’t just risking his unbeaten streak. He’s also putting his ranking on the line, and doing so on just three weeks’ notice. While speaking on ‘The Ariel Helwan’ show, the 34-year-old shared why exactly he agreed to take on the fight. He said, “From a business perspective, people would probably have said, ‘You shouldn’t take the fight. Sit out, and wait for a big opportunity.’ But, it’s like for me, I think this is a big opportunity. I just want to fight. I’m not getting no younger. I want to stay active, I want to fight. Who’s to say when everybody else is going to be ready to fight?” 

The 34-year-old further pointed out that if he wants to become the champion, he needs to be ready to fight anyone at any time. He further added, “If I believe I can be champion, I’ve got to be able to fight anybody in any given moment, and that’s it for me. I know it’s a tough fight, I know it’s a dangerous fight. Big risk, big reward. I’m happy, and I’m excited.” But Murphy won’t be having an easy time in his upcoming fight at UFC 319. To get ready, Pico has embraced a recovery method that feels straight out of Dragon Ball Z,  much like Goku retreating to a healing chamber before a major showdown.

In preparation for his UFC debut, the 28-year-old featherweight newcomer has been relying on a hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) capsule. The UFC featherweight debutant took to X to share a pair of photos—one showing himself inside an HBOT capsule, flashing a confident thumbs-up. The other features Goku from Dragon Ball Z recovering in his iconic healing chamber. He captioned the post as, “Recovery.” With Pico employing enhanced recovery processes like HBOT, will it give him an edge walking into the fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.