Lerone Murphy has responded to the first defeat of his professional career after losing a majority decision to Movsar Evloev in their five-round main event at UFC London.
Murphy was beaten on the judges’ scorecards at the O2 Arena, with two officials scoring the bout 48-46 in Evloev’s favour and a third returning a 47-47 draw after a point deduction for fouls, extending the Russian’s unbeaten record to 20-0 and prompting immediate discussion about a potential title shot.
“Just watched the fight back,” Murphy wrote on X, followed by a laughing/sweating emoji. “Congrats to Evloev either way.”
The result has been widely debated, with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping among those disputing the outcome after calling the fight live. “I’ll just get to the point: I thought Lerone — and I’ve got nothing against Movsar, and this is not me being biased, for all the American fans — I thought Lerone should have won that fight,” said Bisping, according to his YouTube channel.
He added: “I thought he won the first three rounds. I thought Movsar didn’t pick it up and really start going for it until Rounds 4 and 5.”
Bisping also pointed to the impact of Evloev’s point deduction when assessing the final scoring. “Now, maybe I’m wrong, but there was the point deduction. So, should it have been a draw? Because if it’s two rounds apiece, and let’s just say Movsar won three out of [five], well then, he’s essentially lost one of them because he loses the point. So, if anything, it should have been a draw, in my humble opinion,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Evloev’s victory positions him as a leading contender in the featherweight division, with Alexander Volkanovski already being discussed as a potential next opponent following the result in London.
Media scoring further highlighted the split opinion on the bout, with all 17 submissions tracked by MMA Decisions favouring Murphy or a draw, underlining the ongoing debate surrounding the judges’ verdict.
