Evloev ekes out decision vs. Murphy in UFC London main event

Movsar Evloev went into enemy territory and defeated England's Lerone Murphy via majority decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47) in the UFC London main event Saturday at The O2 Arena.

Evloev, the No. 1-ranked featherweight contender, relied on his wrestling in the final three rounds to secure the judges' nod, completing nine of 10 takedowns and amassing just under four minutes of control time. However, Murphy, who's ranked No. 3 in the division, outlanded Evloev 89-86 in significant strikes.

With the victory, Evloev kept his undefeated record intact, improving to 20-0 as a professional. Afterward, he called for the next title shot against champion Alexander Volkanovski.

"UFC, there is no excuses to don't let me fight for the title," Evloev said in his postfight interview. "I have nothing to say."

Murphy, who suffered his first career loss and fell to 17-1-1, also campaigned for Evloev to challenge Volkanovski next.

Evloev stepped into the Octagon for the first time since December 2024 when he earned a unanimous decision win over former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310. The 32-year-old Russian is now riding a 10-fight winning streak in the Octagon, the second-longest active streak behind welterweight titleholder Islam Makhachev (16).

Murphy had won nine in a row entering Saturday, with the only blemish on his record being a split draw in his UFC debut in 2019. The 34-year-old Manchester native was coming off a Knockout of the Year candidate against Aaron Pico last summer.