Lerone Murphy might have a date set for a title fight with Alexander Volkanovski. The UFC featherweight champion took to social media to congratulate Murphy on his huge win Saturday in the UFC 319 co-main event. Murphy welcomed former Bellator star Aaron Pico to the octagon with a stunning first-round spinning back elbow knockout.

Pico (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) took the fight against featherweight replacement opponent Lerone Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC), who stepped in for Movsar Evloev on just about three weeks' notice. He had won nine of his past 10 Bellator fights before that promotion was shuttered by the PFL, and the one loss was from an injury.

The UFC main card was one of the best of the year, with two spinning back elbow finishes and a dominant performance by new middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.

In the third fight of the main card, Carlos Prates hammered Geoff Neal with a spinning back elbow to the head for a KO in the final second of the first round. Neal was barely responsive on the floor as Prates began celebrating. It was the ninth spinning back elbow KO in UFC history, and Prates' UFC-best fifth KO since the start of 2024.

UFC 319 is officially in the books, and while Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant win over Dricus Du Plessis stole headlines in the main event, it was Lerone Murphy who delivered one of the night’s most viral moments.

Joe Rogan believes this has led to his opponent, Lerone Murphy, being overlooked ahead of UFC 319. The 16-0-1 featherweight has put himself in title contention without making a ton of noise. As a result, Rogan thinks that many fans don’t even know Murphy is ahead of his short-notice fight with Pico.

Interview: The Manchester featherweight eyes a dream title fight on home soil, but first up is Emmett in Vegas, after UFC London proved elusive

Undefeated UFC prospect Lerone Murphy recently explained why boxing icon "Iron" Mike Tyson is his biggest inspiration in combat sports.