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The UFC's final show of May went down last night in Las Vegas' APEX. Despite some thrilling moments, it wasn't all that memorable.
UFC Fight Night: Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy was largely lacking in name value. While a handful of fighters shone, it certainly won't be an event to look back on at the end of 2024. Despite this, there were several talking points, including a potential title contender emerging at 145 pounds.
Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy.
#5. Tom Nolan produces one of the comebacks of the year
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Last night's preliminary card featured a handful of decent finishes, some controversy, and some solid performances. The standout one, though, came from Australia's Tom Nolan. 'Big Train' was making his second UFC appearance following a debut loss to Nikolas Motta in January, and early on, things didn't look good for him.
While he appeared to be using his range to snipe at Victor Martinez from distance, when 'The Brick' dropped him with a counter right hand, he was in trouble. However, the Aussie prevented a follow-up onslaught, and when he got to his feet, he paid Martinez back. Nolan caught 'The Brick' coming forward with a perfectly timed knee to the gut, enough to basically put him down and out.
How far Nolan can go in the loaded lightweight division remains to be seen, but his quick recovery stands amongst the best comebacks of 2024 thus far.
#4. Angela Hill proves that sometimes old dogs can learn new tricks
The biggest surprise of last night's event came in the main card opener between strawweights Angela Hill and Luana Pinheiro.
Given that No.9 ranked Pinheiro had picked up wins over the likes of Randa Markos and Michelle Waterson in recent years, she was the favorite to win this bout. After all, Hill had turned 39 years old in January and looked to be on the downswing of her lengthy career.
However, 'Overkill' shocked everyone by not only changing her overall approach but also by winning in the most unlikely fashion.
After using her grappling skills to surprisingly good effect in the first round, the veteran then caught Pinheiro in a guillotine in the second when she attempted a takedown.
From there, Hill remarkably transitioned into a mounted guillotine - and forced the Brazilian to tap out for the first time in her career. It was also, bizarrely, the first time Hill had ever submitted a foe in the octagon.
The win is likely to move 'Overkill' back into the top ten, a remarkable feat given she debuted nearly a decade ago. While she may never climb into title contention at this point, this performance was proof that she's still relevant, and it earned her a $50k bonus, too.
#3. Khaos Williams capitalizes on a rare opportunity in the spotlight
While many fans might bemoan the arguably low quality of the UFC's Fight Night events, particularly at the APEX, they do have some redeeming factors.
Namely, these events allow fighters who don't necessarily have the biggest names to shine in the spotlight, if only briefly. It's then up to those fighters to make the most of their opportunity.
It's fair to say that welterweight Khaos Williams did just that last night. Realistically, there's no way his bout with Carlston Harris should've been positioned as a co-headliner. After all, neither man was ranked in the top fifteen, even if both were coming off wins.
However, 'The Ox Fighter' needed just over a minute to land one of the more brutal knockouts in recent memory, switching Harris' lights off with a single blow.
The win, unsurprisingly, earned Williams a bonus $50k, but it probably did far more than that in the bigger picture. Sure, it won't move him into the welterweight rankings, but it taught the UFC brass that he's a very reliable action fighter - and therefore it should guarantee him more opportunities like this in the future.
#2. Adrian Yanez remains limited but highly dangerous
At the start of 2023, the UFC's bantamweight division had few hotter prospects than Adrian Yanez. The affable Texan had reeled off six straight wins since his 2020 octagon debut and looked like a contender in the making.
His losses to Rob Font and Jonathan Martinez, though, exposed him somewhat. Yanez appeared to be shown up as a limited fighter of sorts, and if he couldn't land a big punch in the early going, he became very vulnerable to his opponent's striking attacks.
Last night marked his first fight back after the Martinez loss, with a gap of seven months between them. While he won impressively, it's safe to say that his overall showing was a mixed bag.
Nobody can question his crazy punching power. An overhand right completely destroyed opponent Vinicius Salvador, and Yanez's follow-up shots showed incredible killer instinct, too.
However, before landing his big shot, the Texan was arguably being pieced up by his unheralded opponent. Unfortunately for Salvador, he just lacked the power to capitalize on that.
Will Yanez ever make it into UFC title contention? Offensively, he's got the potential, but based on last night, he's still got holes in his game he needs to close to get there.
#1. Lerone Murphy could be the dark horse in the UFC's featherweight division
Last night's headline bout was a true eye-opener and may have seen a brand-new contender emerge in the UFC's featherweight division.
The bout saw the unbeaten Lerone Murphy facing veteran Edson Barboza, with many fans favoring the Brazilian. After all, Murphy had never beaten anyone close to the level of 'Junior', and despite his age, Barboza had looked excellent in his recent wins over Billy Quarantillo and Sodiq Yusuff.
Murphy, though, not only outclassed Barboza, but he did so in the Brazilian's own wheelhouse; a stand-up fight.
'The Miracle' constantly peppered 'Junior' with a ramrod jab, staggering him on multiple occasions, and was even able to absorb some of the Brazilian's lethal leg kicks to no real effect.
When the fight ended, there was no question that the native of Manchester deserved the nod, and the fact that he beat Barboza at his own game was a huge eye-opener.
It seems likely that a spot in the top ten will now be in Murphy's grasp, and theoretically, there should be no shortage of potential opponents for his next fight.
Based on this showing, he'll be a match for any 145-pound fighter in the world, and it's a pity that UFC 304 - which is set to take place in his hometown - will probably be too quick a turnaround for him.
