Lerone Murphy vs Joshua Culibao at UFC Fight Night 224
LERONE MURPHY VS JOSHUA CULIBAO FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 224? Saturday 22July, 2023 - 16:45 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 224? The O2 Arena, London (UK)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 224?
What channel is UFC Fight Night 224 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 224? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
LERONE MURPHY VS JOSHUA CULIBAO LOWDOWN
Lerone Murphy (12-0-1) could have a lot more UFC fights under the belt by now and threatening the rankings if it was not for bad luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fight cancellations, injuries and assaults have robbed him of opportunities and he nearly lost his spot on the UFC 286 card in London back in March. He was scheduled to fight Nathaniel Wood who got injured in training. Thankfully, Gabriel Santos stepped up to replace him and went to the wire with Murphy falling short in a split decision to keep the Brit’s unbeaten record intact.
Joshua Culibao (11-1-1) flies across the globe to London for the first time. He was protecting his own unbeaten record when he made his UFC debut. Unfortunately for him, he stepped up on short notice to fight the biggest lightweight in the division in Jalin Turner (2020). He inevitably got TKO’d but he is unbeaten since fighting to a draw with Charles Jourdain (2020), outpointing Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (2021) and Seung Woo Choi (2022) and submitting Melsik Baghdararyan back in February.
LERONE MURPHY VS JOSHUA CULIBAO PREDICTION
This is a great fight where we will be able to see their strengths on full display. Murphy takes a welcome break from grapplers, but he will have his hands full here. Culibao is aggressive and has no qualms about sticking in the pocket and offloading.
He will have to be careful about loitering in range however as Murphy packs a lot of power. The Brit mixes up his offence well attacking the body and using his footwork to strike from different ranges.
The Aussie is an exceptional striker, but he is taking on someone who has better technique and more power which is a bad omen when you absorb over three significant strikes per minute.
Culibao has the durability to take this to the bell and has value as the underdog, but we expect Murphy to remain unbeaten.
Prediction: Murphy via Decision
