Dana White suggested Lerone Murphy will get a title shot after his show-stealing UFC 319 win. The 17-0-1 featherweight contender has flown under the radar for most of his time in MMA’s premier promotion.

Khamzat Chimaev finally cashed in on his championship potential last night (Sat., Aug. 16, 2025) at UFC 319 LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois, completely dominating UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis for 25-straight minutes.

In the UFC, timing is everything. When opportunity knocks, you’ve got to not only answer but slam the door shut with authority. That’s exactly what Lerone Murphy did at UFC 319. Originally slotted in as a replacement opponent for Aaron Pico after Movsar Evloev pulled out, Murphy wasn’t expected to steal the spotlight.

Carlos Prates landed a savage spinning elbow knockout win over Geoff Neal at UFC 319. In the very next fight, Murphy connected with the same scary strike to put Pico to sleep and make his case for a 145lb title shot. Volkanovski’s immediate reaction to the sickening finish suggests the Englishman is next in line.