A pivotal featherweight clash could soon join UFC’s schedule.
The promotion is looking to book a meeting between undefeated contender Lerone Murphy and former interim title challenger Josh Emmett for their April 5th card, per a recent report from Mike Heck of MMA Fighting.
If finalized, the fight will headline a card expected to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The booking would be a return for Emmett, who has been out of the cage for a little over a year. The eighth-ranked featherweight last appeared at UFC 296 in late 2023, when he delivered a scary first-round knockout win against Bryce Mitchell.
The victory put Emmett back on track after losing in a pair of high-profile fights in the division, dropping a five-round matchup to now-champion Ilia Topuria and losing an interim title opportunity against Yair Rodriguez.
A long run of consistent results before those losses made Emmett one of the more respected contenders in the division. He went on a stretch of five consecutive wins from 2019 to 2022, getting past names like Dan Ige and Calvin Kattar along the way.
The tests keep getting bigger for Murphy, and his next appearance could offer a first chance at breaking into featherweight’s top 10.
The Manchester-based 33-year-old has yet to lose through 15 pro fights and seven UFC appearances, a campaign that has earned him an 11th-place spot in the incredibly competitive featherweight class.
Murphy is coming off his biggest year yet as a pro, pulling off a pair of major wins against notable opponents. In May, he went five rounds for the first time in his career to overcome Edson Barboza in a dominant performance.
He then came back as part of UFC 308 in October, beating Dan Ige on scorecards to get past another valued gatekeeper in the class. He now is likely to meet a fighter who is just a few fights removed from a title shot and back on the rise.
Here’s how UFC’s April 5th card, which we’re still a little under two months away from, looks:
Bout 9: Josh Emmett (19-4) vs. Lerone Murphy (15-0-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 8: Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-5) vs. Martin Buday (14-2) (Heavyweight)
Bout 7: Luis Gurule (10-0) vs. Ode Osbourne (12-8) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Rhys McKee (13-6-1) vs. Daniel Frunza (9-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 5: Dione Barbosa (7-3) vs. Diana Belbita (15-9) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: Vanessa Demopoulos (11-6) vs. Talita Alencar (5-1-1) (Strawweight)
Bout 3: Robert Valentin (10-4) vs. Torrez Finney (10-0) (Middleweight)
Bout 2: Cortavious Romious (9-3) vs. Lee Chang-ho (10-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Joanderson Brito (17-4-1) vs. Pat Sabatini (19-5) (Featherweight)
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