Murphy pushes for featherweight title shot after KO of Pico

Lerone Murphy took a decisive step toward a featherweight title shot by blasting Aaron Pico out of the UFC 319 co-main event with a spinning back elbow in Chicago on Saturday, a victory that extended Murphy’s unbeaten run in the promotion to nine and positioned him at the front of the line to challenge Alexander Volkanovski later this year. The win came on three weeks’ notice for the Briton, who improved to 9-0 in the UFC and 17-0 as a professional, with Murphy declaring afterward that he is “next in line” for a title opportunity.

Murphy entered the bout with Pico as a highly anticipated test for a fighter with a rising reputation in Bellator and PFL, while Murphy looked to translate a string of decision wins into a signature finish. Pico came out aggressively, but Murphy remained composed, reading the challenger’s forward motion and unleashing a perfectly timed spinning elbow that connected on Pico’s temple and ended the contest at 3:21 of the first round. The knockout, one of the most eye-catching moments of the year, immediately elevated Murphy in the title discussion and drew praise from UFC President Dana White, who has long praised fighters who embrace short-notice...