Lerone Murphy marvels at UFC 308 pre-fight interaction with Ilia Topuria: ‘He was already counting his money’

Fresh off a career-best win over Dan Ige, Lerone Murphy may look to adopt the practices of his division’s champion, Ilia Topuria, after sharing a locker room with "El Matador" before Topuria's clash with Max Holloway on Saturday at UFC 308.

Before he left for his main-card meeting with Ige, the Manchester native was approached by Topuria and was struck by how calm he was hours before participating in one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2024.

“Topuria came up to me in the changing room and he said, ‘It’s just another day at sparring,’ and that’s kind of stuck into me,” said Murphy on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show."

“His mindset going into fights is different and that’s why he’s performing. And that’s maybe how I need to look at it — it’s just another day at sparring.

“Bro, he’s relaxed," Murphy added. "He was already counting his money before even going into the fight, that’s how relaxed he was. He had his top off, he was chilling, cracking jokes. For him to come over to me and say that, it's like, 'You’re relaxed, bro.' He’s relaxed. And he's fighting a killer."

Murphy has studied Topuria’s game since his arrival in the UFC and knew he was capable of stopping Holloway. However, after being in the company of the Spain-based fighter, he admits that he “has a lot of work to do” as he looks to mount an assault on his division’s top 10.

Comparing his own mindset to Topuria’s, Murphy questioned if he is putting too much pressure on the outcome of the clash.

“It’s not even nerves, I’m just in some mad kill mode. I’m just like pumped," he said. "Like, I don’t know, I don't know. But he just seemed chill. I’m not cracking no jokes in the back, I'm thinking about — maybe I’m putting too much pressure on the winning part of it. I put too much pressure on the winning side of it, that’s what it is, and these guys are like, 'Bro, I've already won. I'm not bothered.'

“I just know when you’re climbing this ladder, a loss is a long way back, and I’m trying to be champion as soon as possible.”

Boasting a record of 15-0-1 and having contested more than half of his professional bouts under the UFC banner, “The Miracle” believes he is ready for tests further up the 145-pound ladder.

He sees submission specialist Brian Ortega and knockout artist Josh Emmett as the perfect next steps on his quest to be crowned featherweight champion.

“Looking at the rankings, he’s coming off a big knockout win over Bryce Mitchell," he said of Emmett. "I would’ve called out Brian Ortega, but he’s coming off a loss and I don’t really believe in that, but I do think it’s a good fight, him or Josh Emmett. They’re both five and six maybe, I can't remember the rankings now, but anyone in that top 10 to be honest, I don’t really discriminate.

“But I just believe Josh Emmett is a scary matchup, a power puncher again like Topuria, and I believe he'll bring the best out in me. That’s why I called him out. I do think the Brian Ortega fight is a good fight, too.”