UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Murphy Fight Card, Predictions, & Odds

Two exciting featherweight fighters will headline the UFC Fight Night card this weekend inside the APEX Center in Las Vegas, as No. 11-ranked divisional contender Edson Barboza will put his ranking on the line against the undefeated Lerone Murphy.

Vegas, we're back!

A new fight week is here! 🙌#UFCVegas92 pic.twitter.com/iJcLC5fIwm

— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2024

Both are riding their respective win streaks, but Murphy will be the betting favorite in UFC odds at -150 due to his longer successive victories, while Barboza is tagged as the slight betting underdog with +125 odds.

Edson Barboza Recent Fight Results

Barboza is a 14-year UFC veteran with 29 fights on his resume. He started his career in the promotion, competing in the lightweight division, where he amassed a record of 14 wins and eight losses. Some of the most notable wins in his 155-pound campaign came against Bobby Green, Anthony Pettis, Beneil Dariush, and Dan Hooker.

In May 2020, the Brazilian knockout artist officially moved down to the featherweight division and has since recorded four wins and three losses. His victories were over Makwan Amirkhani, Shane Burgos, and Billy Quarantillo. His most recent win was against Sodiq Yusuff in October.

Lerone Murphy Recent Fight Results

Murphy was the former FCC MMA champion when he signed with the UFC in 2019. That same year, he debuted in September against Zubaira Tukhugov, resulting in a draw. Since that stalemate, he went on a five-fight tear.

“The Miracle” has strung up five straight victories under the Las Vegas-based promotion and scored wins over Ricardo Ramos, Douglas Silva de Andrade, Makwan Amirkhani, Gabriel Santos, and Josh Culibao. Murphy aims to crack a spot in the top 15 rankings with a win against Barboza.

Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy: Tale of the Tape

Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy: Fight Analysis

The advantages in the physical attributes in this upcoming featherweight battle will be on Barboza’s side because he’s 2 inches taller, has 1.5 inches longer reach, and has 2 inches of reach edge against Murphy.

Stylistically, both are standup fighters with a solid striking background, which makes this match even more exciting since they are willing to trade shots. Barboza and Murphy also have a high finish rate of 63% and 54%, respectively, and most of their stoppage wins were via TKO/KOs.

The brilliance of the two is also seen in their significant strike output, with Barboza racking up 4.18 significant strikes landed per minute with a 45% rate and 4.34 significant absorbed per minute with a 57% rate. Meanwhile, Murphy has 3.65 significant strikes landed per minute with a 50% and 2.40 significant strikes absorbed per minute with a 56% rate.

Despite their similar styles, a crucial factor separates the two: experience level. The Brazilian is already 38 years old and has a wealth of fight experience behind him. He’s expected to use every ounce of it to carve out a victory on fight night.

On the other hand, this will be the British brawler’s first main event feature, which could be a crucial moment in his career. Murphy will either rise to the occasion and perform at his absolute best or crumble under the bright lights fighting a veteran opponent.

We’ve seen this narrative before Barboza was supposed to lose to a rising star in the division when he fought Yusuff, but “Junior” held his own and won a decision. This time, I see a Barboza win, but with a more convincing result.

Official Prediction: TKO/KO victory for Edson Barboza.