Lerone Murphy calls out Brian Ortega following UFC Vegas 105 win, ‘T-City’ responds

Lerone Murphy is calling for a matchup with Brian Ortega.

Murphy shared the Octagon with perhaps his toughest test to date in Josh Emmett. Murphy was effective in using his distance to stay away from Emmett’s punching power. He even frustrated his opponent at the end of the fight, where Emmett mocked him for “running.”

Ultimately, Murphy earned a unanimous decision victory, and he wants a showdown with “T-City.”

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Murphy vs. Ortega?

During the UFC Vegas 105 post-fight show, Lerone Murphy was asked if there’s any future opponent he has his eyes one. Murphy wouldn’t mind having Brian Ortega as his dance partner.

“To be honest, if I got a finish I would’ve been calling for the title, but it was still a clinical performance, still a shutout, masterclass.” Murphy said. “Anybody in that top three, top four. Where’s Brian Ortega? I think that’s a good fight. I think he’s No. 3, and Diego Lopes went up to get a title shot after beating him. So, let’s go Brian Ortega.”

Ortega seemingly responded by using an emoji in a post on his X account.

Ortega was last seen inside the Octagon back in Sept. 2024. He went one-on-one with Diego Lopes in a losing effort. Lopes is going on to compete for the vacant UFC Featherweight Championship against Alexander Volkanovski, which is what Murphy was alluding to. “T-City” has gone 1-3 in his last four outings. In one of those defeats, Ortega suffered a shoulder injury against Yair Rodriguez. In their rematch, Ortega scored a third-round submission finish.

Murphy has an unbeaten pro MMA record of 16-0-1. He’s beaten the likes of Dan Ige, Edson Barboza, and now Emmett. Murphy figures to take Emmett’s No. 8 spot on the official UFC featherweight rankings once the list has been updated.