LONDON – Lerone Murphy beat Gabriel Santos with a split decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 286 at The O2 in London.
Take a look inside the fight with Murphy, who returned from a layoff of nearly 18 months for the first split decision win of his career.
Lerone Murphy vs. Gabriel Santos
Result: Lerone Murphy def. Gabriel Santos via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Updated records: Murphy (12-0-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC), Santos (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Santos landed five takedowns, but came up short with two of the three judges.
Murphy on the fight's key moment
“I loved every minute of it. When we squared up, it was like, boom. Yes – let’s go. This kid’s here for war. I knew it was going to be like that. I saw it in him from the weigh-ins. It was like I was looking at a younger me. I was up for it. I loved every second of it. That’s what I needed and that’s what’s going to build me to be a champion – things like that.”
Murphy on making improvements
“Coming back from a year off, a hard year, I had to get through a lot mentally by myself – get past a lot of things. And then to come back to a solid fire like that, overcome against a 12-0 former champion, it just shows what I’ve got in myself. I know I’m 100 times better than that. I have to show it, though. And the better the opponent, the better I get.”
Murphy on what he wants next
“Where’s Nathaniel Wood? Is he under here? Because he’s running from me. The next U.K. card in July or whenever it is, if I don’t get a number next to my name, give me Nathaniel Wood and I’ll break Nathaniel Wood. … I’m a fighter. He’s a fighter. He thinks he’s better than me. I know I’m better than him. So let’s put on a show for the fans. I’m sure the fans would love to see that in the U.K. – main card, co-main, whatever you want to want to do. But look, I’m 5-0 UFC, basically, and I believe I deserve my shot.”
To hear more from Murphy, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
