- Josh Emmett and Lerone Murphy headline the UFC Fight Night on April 5.
- The UFC APEX in Las Vegas will be the venue of the match.
- Emmett is the +260 betting underdog, and Murphy is the -330 betting favorite.
The MMA action shifts back to the APEX Center on April 5, as featherweight contenders Josh Emmett and Lerone Murphy face off in the main event of UFC Fight Night to determine who’s moving up in the division’s rankings.
Because of his undefeated record, Murphy heads into the match as the betting favorite with -330 UFC odds, while Emmett, who was a former UFC interim featherweight title challenger, will be the +260 betting underdog at BetMGM’s online sportsbook.
Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy Odds
- Josh Emmett: +260
- Lerone Murphy: -330
Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy: Prediction
Because of his youth and better striking output, I predict Murphy will win unanimously over Emmett in their upcoming featherweight showdown. Plus, he has a considerable advantage in reach and is much younger than Emmett.
Murphy has been the more active fighter heading into the match with two fights in 2024, while Emmett sat on the sidelines following that brutal knockout win over Bryce Mitchell in December 2023. Ring rust could also be a factor in this bout.
Emmett has the power to put any contender to sleep in the featherweight division, but only when he lands his punch clean. Once he’s forced to fight on his back foot, he feels uncomfortable and gets his rhythm off.
The key for Murphy in this match is to put pressure on Emmett and fully utilize his height and reach advantage to disrupt his flow and frustrate him. This way, he can inflict significant and recurring damage, thus scoring points on the judges’ scorecards.
For Emmett, he needs to close the distance and time a perfect punch straight to Murphy’s chin, but this would be a challenging task for him now due to his long layoff and because he’s now riding the sunset of his pro career at 40 years old.
Josh Emmett’s Recent Fight Results
Emmett was the former WFC champion when he joined the UFC in May 2016 and won his debut match against Jon Tuck with a close split decision. Since that successful maiden outing, he won eight of his next 10 matches to earn his shot for UFC gold.
In February 2023, at UFC 284, Emmett was matched with Yair Rodriguez for the interim featherweight title, but suffered a second-round submission loss. Since that defeat, he split his last two outings with a loss to Ilia Topuria in June 2023 and a highlight-reel knockout win over Mitchell in December 2023.
Lerone Murphy’s Recent Fight Results
Murphy was a former FCC MMA champion before joining the Las Vegas-based promotion in September 2019. His debut ended in a draw against Zubaira Tukhugov, but he has since swept all his assignments inside the octagon.
Murphy defeated his next seven opponents, which included notable names like Josh Culibao, Edson Barboza, and Dan Ige, to earn a spot in the 145-pound division’s top 10 rankings and maintain his professional record unblemished.
Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy: Tale of the Tape
| Josh Emmett | Lerone Murphy | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 40 | 33 |
| Height | 5’6” | 5’9” |
| Reach | 70 inches | 73.5 inches |
| Leg Reach | 39.5 inches | 39 inches |
| Record | 19-4 | 15-0-1 |
| Fighting Style | Freestyle | Kickboxer |
| Finishing Rate | 47% | 47% |
Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy Fight Card
- Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy, featherweight fight
- Pat Sabatini vs. Joanderson Brito, featherweight fight
- Cortavious Romious vs. Changho Lee, bantamweight fight
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Martin Buday, heavyweight fight
- Brad Tavares vs. Gerald Meerschaert, middleweight fight
- Torrez Finney vs. Robert Valentin, middleweight fight
- Ode Osbourne vs. Luis Gurule, flyweight fight
- Davey Grant vs. Daniel Santos, bantamweight fight
- Diana Belbita vs. Dione Barbosa, women’s flyweight fight
- Rhys McKee vs. Daniel Frunza, welterweight fight
- Loma Lookboonmee vs. Istela Nunes, women’s strawweight fight
- Victor Henry vs. Pedro Falcao, bantamweight fight
- Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Talita Alencar, women’s strawweight fight
