REPORT | Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige in the works for UFC 308

A UFC featherweight clash between fan favorites Lerone Murphy and Dan Ige is reportedly targeted for UFC 308.

MMA Fighting‘s Mike Heck was the first to report the news of the targeted Murphy vs. Ige booking. UFC 308 takes place on October 26 in Abu Dhabi.

Murphy vs. Ige was originally booked for a UFC Fight Night event earlier this year before Murphy withdrew due to injury in February. Murphy went on to defeat Edson Barboza in May by unanimous decision.

This is Ige’s first UFC fight since taking an hours’ notice booking against Diego Lopes at UFC 303.  He lost by unanimous decision but put on an impressive performance given the extremely late notice to fight on one of the biggest cards of the year.

Murphy remains unbeaten in his professional MMA career and is 6-0-1 in his UFC tenure. He’s earned recent victories over the likes of Josh Culibao and Gabriel Santos.

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige added to UFC 308

The previously booked featherweight matchup between Dan Ige and Lerone Murphy is now being targeted for UFC 308, Oct. 27 in Abu Dhabi, per multiple sources.

— Mike Heck (@MikeHeck_JR) July 31, 2024

Murphy’s UFC debut at UFC 242 resulted in a split draw against Zubaira Tukhugov in 2019. Since then, he’s won all six of his most recent UFC bookings, and most recently won his first UFC main event against Barboza.

Ige has earned wins over the likes of Andre Fili, Nate Landwehr, and Damon Jackson during his UFC tenure. He earned a shot in the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017, submitting Luis Gomez by rear-naked choke.

Murphy vs. Ige adds to a building card at UFC 308. The UFC 308 main event, as of this writing, has yet to be booked, but the rumored plan is Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway.

A heavyweight clash between former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov is also rumored for UFC 308. An announcement has yet to be made by their teams and the promotion.

Murphy vs. Ige will likely serve as a main card fight, although it’s uncertain where the bout will land on the event lineup.