Lerone Murphy spoiled Aaron Pico's UFC debut in brutal fashion, knocking out the former Bellator star with a spinning back elbow in the UFC 319 co-main event Saturday night at United Center in Chicago.
The finish came at the 3:21 mark of the first round. It was the second straight spinning-back-elbow knockout on the card - and the 10th in UFC history - after Carlos Prates finished Geoff Neal with the same move.
Pico overwhelmed Murphy early in the fight, putting pressure on the Englishman and landing punches in the pocket. He also scored a takedown two minutes into the round.
But in the end, Pico's aggressiveness caught up to him. As he was walking forward, Murphy clocked Pico with a spinning back elbow, resulting in the highlight-reel finish.
Murphy, the No. 6-ranked featherweight, improved to 17-0-1 as a professional. After the victory, he called for a title shot against champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Pico signed with the UFC earlier this year after parting ways with the PFL. He fell to a career 13-5.
