Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy prediction, decide: Will an undefeated report come to an finish?

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to interrupt down the largest fights within the UFC. In the present day, he takes a better have a look at the UFC on ESPN 65 principal occasion between Josh Emmett and Lerone Murphy.

Josh Emmett UFC on ESPN 65 preview

Staple data:

• File: 19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC
• Top: 5’6″ Age: 40 Weight: 145 lbs. Attain: 70″
• Final combat: Knockout win over Bryce Mitchell (Dec. 16, 2023)
• Camp: Group Alpha Male (Calif.)
• Stance/placing type: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Danger administration: Good

Supplemental data:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ NAIA collegiate wrestler (Menlo Faculty)
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt
+ 7 KO victories
+ 2 submission wins
+ 7 first-round finishes
+ KO energy
^ 12 knockdowns in final 11 appearances
+ Heavy crosses and hooks
^ Coming ahead and off the counter
+ Robust contained in the clinch
+ Good takedown capacity
+ Strong transitional grappler
^ Scrambles effectively/positionally conscious
+/- Coming off of a 15-month layoff

Lerone Murphy UFC on ESPN 65 preview

Staple data:

• 15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC
• Top: 5’9″ Age: 33 Weight: 145 lbs. Attain: 73.5″
• Final combat: Decision win over Dan Ige (Oct. 26, 2024)
• Camp: Manchester Prime Group (England)
• Stance/placing type: Swap-stance/muay Thai
• Danger administration: Good

Supplemental data:
+ Regional MMA title
+ Newbie MMA accolades
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt
+ 7 KO victories
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ KO energy
+ Strong feints and footwork
^ Strikes effectively from each stances
+ Onerous calf kicks
+ Robust contained in the clinch
^ Works effectively off over-unders
+ Serviceable takedown capacity
^ Favors makes an attempt alongside the fence
+ Strong scrambling and transitional grappling
+ Good ground-and-pound

Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy focal point: The price of counters

The principle occasion in Las Vegas contains a combat between two prime featherweights who’re aware of the price of counters.

An athletic and explosive mover, Emmett shows related stylistic nods to his Group Alpha Male stablemates to go together with an eye fixed for technical element.

Usually circling alongside the surface, Emmett will provide an array of seems to be in an effort to create alternate angles of method. Whether or not he’s feinting closely and shuffle-stepping his method into vary with a proper hand, or shifting to southpaw to enter off of kicks, Emmett has energy in virtually all the things he throws.

The 14-year professional additionally carries some craft to his recreation, demonstrating slick head motion and an consciousness of angles that speaks louder than one would count on from his resume.

6.
Josh Emmett vs Bryce Mitchell
Emmett through Spherical 1 KO

Probably the most brutal we have now ever seen in UFC historical past, Emmett virtually killed him with as soon as punch, Mitchell was actually having a seizure consider as effectively. Completely nasty pic.twitter.com/dKfVvjVS2D

— LopesGOAT | PantojaGOAT (@Pantoja_GOAT) December 18, 2023

A misleading counterpuncher, Emmett does his greatest work when strolling his opponents into his favored heavy proper hand. However given the pliability of his present foe, Emmett might want to respect what’s coming again at him.
Enter Murphy.

Regardless of the UFC matchmakers’ greatest efforts to bury lighter-weight skills on preliminary playing cards, Murphy seems to have made himself simple with the abilities proven in his accrual of wins.

A well-coached fighter who seems to be to be a pure on the subject of placing, Murphy comports himself comfortably from each stances on the toes. Whether or not Murphy’s launching left-sided energy strikes from southpaw or is making an attempt to arrange his patent calk kick from orthodox, the English fighter is seamless when switching sides.

Keep in mind when Lerone Murphy dropped Josh Culibao with a glancing kick to the physique.
The quantity of variables in fight sports activities are loopy. pic.twitter.com/xWXPu0T5NB

— Feño (@fenoxsky) May 15, 2024

Not solely can Murphy variate the seems to be and ranges of his jab, however the 33-year-old additionally shows stable instincts on the subject of his leg kick protection and counters that ought to turn out to be useful this Saturday. That stated, Murphy has proven that he’s not past being caught whereas kicking both, making counters a potent two-way road.

Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy breakdown: Potential grappling threats

Contemplating the potential for chaos on the toes, nobody ought to be shocked if this get together finally ends up on the ground sooner or later.

No stranger to closed-quarter fight, Murphy has proven a semi-surprising willingness to tie up with opposition all through a combat.

Though Murphy does have a good reactionary double-leg that he’ll mud off every so often, the 9-year professional primarily seems to be to get issues performed from the clinch. Whether or not Murphy is muscling his man over from the bodylock or seeking to change ranges alongside the fence, the Englishman appears robust from this area and works effectively off over-unders.

Nonetheless, I’ll be curious to see how Murphy’s entries stack up in opposition to the American’s protection.

A former NAIA collegiate wrestler, Emmett historically has had the sting on the subject of takedown site visitors and positional play. Whether or not Emmett is within the open or in opposition to the fence, he has proven a serviceable array of choices he can train (although most of his completions come in opposition to the cage).

Emmett additionally is aware of his method inside a scramble, displaying passing and placing competency from topside in previous performances.

From the underside, Emmett just isn’t afraid to assault what’s there – chaining chokes, leg locks and different submissions that he parlays into alternatives to scramble and stand. In actual fact, each males do pretty effectively with getting again to their toes, making me assume that floor exchanges could also be quick and candy whereas each are contemporary.

Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy odds

The oddsmakers and the general public are favoring the English fighter, itemizing Murphy -340 and Emmett +250 through FanDuel.

Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy prediction, decide

Between Murphy’s undefeated report and Emmett’s age, the betting unfold above comes as no shock given the propensities of MMA gamblers.

Apart from age historically being an additional think about lighter weight lessons, Emmett can be coming off of a 15-month layoff as a result of harm. Emmett stories to be in higher situation than prior fights (intimating that he’s been combating well being points for a while), however it’s exhausting to know precisely what you’re going to get with any fighter till the bell rings.

Nevertheless, if you set the intangibles apart, this combat – from a stylistic perspective – turns into far more aggressive than meets the attention.

There’s little question that Murphy is an extremely well-trained and well-rounded fighter, however his lack of killer intuition on the higher echelon has allowed him to make some fights nearer than they wanted to be. Apart from skating by on some ultra-tight choices, Murphy has additionally been arguably saved by the bell a few occasions after being surprised in fights.

Ought to Murphy combat shut with a puncher like Emmett, then he may very well be inviting both a vicious shot that he can’t recuperate from or a contentious scorecard that’s swayed by the larger swings of the American.

Don’t get me flawed: Murphy is the deserved favourite on this spot and has the next abilities ceiling than Emmett. But when Murphy can’t severely harm Emmett or set up his presence with authority early, then I consider that his dance associate can be too tough to constantly take right down to the ground and too harmful to tango with on the toes.

I don’t think about this can be a well-liked decide, however I’ll take a flier on Emmett to discover a knockout by Spherical 2.

Prediction: Emmett inside the gap

Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy begin time, the place to observe

As the principle occasion, Emmett and Murphy are anticipated to make their walks to the octagon at roughly 11:35 p.m. ET. The combat streams on ESPN+.

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC on ESPN 65.