Murphy similarly enters on a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC after fighting Zubaira Tukhugov to a draw in his promotional debut back at UFC 242. The Manchester man is coming off a highlight reel finish of Aaron Pico last summer and would have an even more compelling case for a championship opportunity if he were to bounce Evloev from the ranks of the unbeaten this weekend.
LONDON FULL FIGHTS: Evloev vs Sterling | Murphy vs Pico
This is one of the best non-title headliners in quite some time; a matchup between the No. 1 and No. 3 contenders in a loaded weight class, both of whom are undefeated and each of whom various people felt merited the chance to face Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year when Diego Lopes got his second kick at the can. Being passed over in that instance should have lit a fire under both of these typically mild-mannered men, and it won’t be surprising if we see both come out looking to leave no doubts about what comes next after a victory.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Co-Main Event: Luke Riley vs Michael Aswell Jr.
Unbeaten Liverpool featherweight Luke Riley gets an immediate chance to shine with a co-main event assignment in London opposite Michael Aswell Jr.
Perfect through his first dozen fights, Riley, who trains alongside Paddy Pimblett, Nathan Fletcher, and fellow UFC London combatant Shem Rock, touched down in the UFC with plenty of hype following a clean run to start his career under the Cage Warriors banner. After a tentative first five minutes in the Octagon last November, Riley showed why so many are intrigued by his upside, dropping and finishing Bogdan Grad just 30 seconds into the middle stanza in Qatar.
