When all is said and done, Lauren Murphy’s loss to Jessica Andrade at UFC 283 could wind up as a leading candidate for 2023 “Beatdown of the Year” due to its lopsided nature.
Andrade dominated the flyweight bout, setting a divisional record with 231 significant strikes landed. The bout grew increasingly one-sided as time progressed, as the Brazilian punished her overmatched foe with power punches to the head and crushing kicks to the legs. On more than one occasion, it seemed as if someone — Murphy’s corner or referee Osiris Maia — should call off the fight. Instead, the durable Murphy made it to the final horn, losing by scorecards of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26.
Murphy made it clear that she was pleased to control her own destiny in the aftermath of the defeat.
“I’m glad my corner didn’t stop the fight,” Murphy wrote on Instagram. [To be honest], I thought the ref was going to stop it in the second round but the bell rang before he decided to Either way, I was grateful for the chance to keep fighting. My head and nose will heal with rest, and my heart will heal with time.”
A former flyweight title challenger, Murphy entered Saturday’s bout having won six of her last seven appearances. A victory over Andrade would have kept her among the division’s top contenders, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“The fight was a beatdown but not the way I imagined it,” Murphy wrote. “Sometimes s—t goes down and you just gotta learn from it and get better. Jessica is an insanely tough opponent and I will learn a lot from her. All these experiences — the good ones and the bad ones — make me a better athlete and human.”
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