Lerone Murphy is excited to make his U.S. debut when he takes on Nate Landwher in Ohio on March 26 but is understandably disappointed not to be fighting at UFC London which will take place one week prior.
During a recent interview with LowKickMMA, Murphy spoke about the mixed emotions he is feeling ahead of his American debut which will go down on the undercard of Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic in a couple of months’ time.
“That was the UFC’s decision really,” Murphy said about fighting in the U.S. one week after UFC London. “It’s mixed emotions for me. U.S debut in front of a crowd. It’s big. It’s massive. It’ll be good to fight in front of the U.S. fans and get my name out over there a bit. I’ve always dreamed of a home fight. Three UFC cards have been cancelled while I’ve been on the card, in London and they’ve not gone ahead.
“I’m a bit hurt about it, to be honest, but it is what it is,” Murphy added. “If I keep racking up the wins then I’ll be able to headline back in the U.K. so, I’ll be running the show.”
Murphy revealed he requested to fight in his home country but was told by the UFC that the card was full. ‘The Miracle Man’ thinks employers are simply scrambling to put on fights amid the ongoing global pandemic and that means not everyone gets to fight in their most desired location.
“I did ask for that card (UFC London) but we was told it was too full at the time,” Murphy said. “So, I don’t know who else is on the card and whatnot. I just think it’s because of all this COVID stuff and they just trying to put whoever they can put on wherever.”