Lerone Murphy Stays Undefeated with Dominating Performance Against Edson Barboza

Lerone Murphy is on the cusp of stardom and could find himself ranked in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's featherweight division after dismantling the always-dangerous Edson Barboza on Saturday at the UFC Apex. Murphy dominated one of the the promotion's all-time best strikers from bell to bell en route to a unanimous decision win (49-46, 50-45, 50-45) over the 38-year-old Brazillian in the UFC Fight Night 241 main event.

Murphy (14-0-1) peppered Barboza with the jab and outstruck him despite eating bone-crunching leg kicks. He had Barboza staggered multiple times throughout the fight but cautiously stuck to the game plan and punished his foe in the clinch when the moment presented itself. Barboza never stopped looking for a knockout but Murphy refused to give him an opening. The Manchester Top Team product’s lateral movement and piston-like jab had Barboza eating leather all evening. With the win, Murphy picked up the biggest victory of his career and could see himself matched with a Top 10 featherweight in his next outing. Barboza’s (24-12) 30th UFC appearance saw his two-fight win streak snapped.

Kalinn Williams once again lived up to his ominous nickname of “Khaos” after dispatching Carlston Harris in the first round (1:30) of their welterweight tilt. Williams, a Detroit native, cracked Harris with a right hand that would make Tommy Hearns smile from ear to ear. Williams (15-3) has won two straight since his disputed loss to Randy Brown. With nine knockouts on his ledger, he’s quickly becoming one of the most explosive welterweights on the roster. The loss snapped Harris’ (19-6) modest two-fight win streak.

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Themba Gorimbo wasn’t happy with his performance but it was more than enough to take a clear unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) over Ramiz Brahimaj in welterweight action. Gorimbo (13-4) picked up his third straight win after controlling Brahimaj throughout the 15-minute scrap. The fight didn’t live up to the hype of Gorimbo’s first-round TKO over Pete Rodriguez, but it did show his versatility on the mat.

Adrian Yanez reminded everyone why he’s still one of the most explosive bantamweights in the UFC with a first-round TKO over Vinicius Salvador (2:47). After suffering back-to-back stoppage losses, the hype had cooled on the heavy-handed Texan, but Salvador was a made to order opponent that quickly discovered he lacked the firepower to stand in the pocket. Realizing he was likely to go out on his shield, Salvador opened up with Yanez until he was put down by a wicked right hand. Yanez (17-5) closed the show with a cluster of shots that forced Chris Togononi to call the bout.

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Strawweight staple Angela Hill has never submitted an opponent throughout her 30-fight career … until Saturday. The 39-year-old continued to push back the clock and surge her way up the standings after submitting Luana Pinheiro in the second round. After outstriking Pinheiro throughout the first period, Hill set up her fight-ending guillotine in the second after stuffing Pinheiro's failed takedown. Hill pulled guard and locked in a tight squeeze at the 4:12 mark of Round 2 to secure the win.

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