With Murphy currently sitting sixth in the official UFC featherweight rankings, he knows that only big wins, over significant opposition, will move him closer to that goal, and he feels that Pico represents that elite-level opposition he needs to move into championship contention.
“I think Aaron Pico is championship level,” he stated.
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I think he’s better than a lot of those fighters in there, and may be the best fighter I’ve fought so far. So, yeah, it definitely does (put me in the title mix). And Movsar was the number one contender fight, right? And I’ve stepped in. So if I win, it’s my time.”
As soon as Pico was signed to the UFC, Murphy had eyes on the former Bellator star as a future opponent. But while he recognizes the former collegiate wrestling standout as a legitimate contender in the division, Murphy makes sure he knows exactly what’s going on at 145 pounds, from the top to the bottom of his weight class.
