What’s next for Lerone Murphy and Josh Emmett after UFC Vegas 105?

The UFC was at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, April 5, for UFC Vegas 105. The main event saw featherweight contenders throw down as Lerone Murphy took on Josh Emmett.

Murphy was coming off a decision win over Dan Ige, which was his seventh-straight win as the Brit was 7-0-1 in the UFC entering the bout. Emmett, meanwhile, was coming off a KO win over Bryce Mitchell in December of 2023 and had a significant layoff.

Ultimately, in the end, it was Murphy who edged out a clear-cut decision win to get the biggest win of his career. Following UFC Vegas 105, here is what I think should be next for the featherweight contenders.

Lerone Murphy

Lerone Murphy is now 8-0-1 in the UFC as he was able to edge out a decision win over Josh Emmett. Murphy outstruck Emmett 117-to-44, and although Emmett did take him down four times, Murphy was able to land the more damaging shots to get the win.

Following the win at UFC Vegas 105, Murphy should get a top-five contender next and is closing in on a title shot. A logical next fight is to face Brian Ortega, who’s ranked sixth and is a former title challenger. It can be a Fight Night main event, as Ortega needs a step-down in competition in terms of the rankings, while Murphy deserves a big-name like Ortega.

Josh Emmett

Josh Emmett didn’t pull the trigger enough as he only landed 44 strikes, as he focused more on his wrestling. With the loss, Emmett is now 10-5 in the UFC and 1-3 in his last four. Emmett is still a top-10 featherweight and can be in fun fights.

A logical next fight for Emmett is to face Youssef Zalal who’s coming off a win over Calvin Kattar. Zalal deserves to fight a top-10 opponent, and Emmett makes sense, as at the time, the Alpha Male fighter appears to be a gatekeeper at the top-10.