This was certainly the case after Lerone Murphy knocked Aaron Pico out cold in the first round with a devastating spinning elbow. Along with immediately receiving praise from Dana White, Murphy’s win also attracted the attention of Volkanovski, who appeared to zero in on the undefeated Brit as his next challenger.

Alexander Volkanovski has announced who he will face in his next title defence later this year. The Australian star was watching UFC 319, paying special attention to the co-main event featuring Lerone Murphy and Aaron Pico.

During the UFC 319 post-fight presser, UFC CEO Dana White talked about undefeated featherweight fighter Lerone Murphy's next bout and whether he will get a title shot next.

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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.

After Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway recently moved up to the lightweight division, Alexander Volkanovski seemed to have no major or threatening challenge left at featherweight. However, Lerone Murphy has proven that the division still has the guys who can ...

Anything less than a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski will not satisfy British featherweight Lerone Murphy should he dispatch hot property Aaron Pico in the co-main event of UFC 319 this weekend, as he sets his sights on ruling the division by the year’s end.