Overview
- Official scorecards read 48-46, 48-46 and 47-47 after referee Marc Goddard deducted a point from Movsar Evloev in round four for low blows.
- Evloev stood and traded early before leaning on wrestling late, finishing with a 124-89 edge in total strikes and nine takedowns on 10 attempts, according to ESPN.
- Lerone Murphy suffered the first loss of his career and said his hip “popped” in the third round, though he offered no excuses and praised Evloev post-fight.
- Fighters and analysts questioned the scoring, with many calling the bout a draw or a Murphy win, fueling renewed scrutiny of judging.
- Evloev called out champion Alexander Volkanovski in his post-fight interview and multiple outlets now view him as the likely next title challenger, with no bout announced.