Lerone Murphy gets honest about taking Aaron Pico fight on short notice at UFC 319: "The game's the game"

Lerone Murphy recently addressed accepting a fight against Aaron Pico at UFC 319 on short notice. Pico was originally scheduled to face Movsar Evloev at UFC Abu Dhabi last weekend. However, Evloev was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury.

As a result, Pico was re-booked for a fight against Murphy at UFC 319 next month. Murphy notably accepted the challenge on a three-week notice. Given the relatively short preparation period, many questioned the unbeaten featherweight's decision to risk his resume with a short-notice fight.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Murphy broke down why he took the fight against Pico and said:

"The game's the game. From a business perspective, people would probably have said, 'You shouldn't take the fight. Sit out, and wait for a big opportunity.' But, it's like for me, I think this is a big opportunity. I just want to fight. I'm not getting no younger. I want to stay active, I want to fight. Who's to say when everybody else is going to be ready to fight?"

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He continued:

"Everybody seems to get surgery and whatnot. So, do I want to sit out until December, November? No, I don't. I'm ready to go now. So, whoever, whenever. If I believe I can be champion, I've got to be able to fight anybody in any given moment, and that's it for me. I know it's a tough fight, I know it's a dangerous fight. Big risk, big reward. I'm happy, and I'm excited." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full interview below:

Renato Moicano sounds off on Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico fight

Renato Moicano isn't a fan of the Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico fight at UFC 319 next month. The Brazilian questioned Murphy and Pico's star power and claimed he wasn't planning on watching them throw down.

In an episode of the Show Me The Money podcast, Moicano went off on the UFC 319 matchup and said:

This is not a sport. This is entertainment... If you’re very good, but nobody knows you... I don’t wanna watch... Because let’s be honest. I don’t know Aaron Pico. Call me a casual. Maybe I’m a casual. I think I watched [Pico] once on Bellator. And you got only the highlights on Instagram and stuff. I don’t know his game. I don’t know much about him."

He continued:

"If it’s Evloev, people know Evloev... Not many people know about Lerone Murphy, to be honest.If you ask a casual fan, you say, 'Hey, do you know Lerone Murphy?' They don’t know."

Catch Renato Moicano's comments below (13:51):

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Edited by Nishant Zende.