Lerone Murphy welcomes Aaron Pico to the UFC at UFC 319 after Movsar Evloev's withdrawal. Murphy, currently 16-0-1, values Pico's reputation, asserting rankings hold little significance. Murphy acknowledges the potential pressure of a UFC debut but remains ambivalent about its impact. He emphasizes that each fighter handles pressure uniquely and doesn’t expect a lack of performance from Pico, who is in his prime. The short notice of this fight means Murphy has avoided prolonged mental focus on his opponent, which he considers advantageous.
I don't think rankings have anything to do with it. Most of the time they don't mean anything. Everyone knows his level in the world, and he's got a big name.
This is the biggest show in the world, and what an arena to make your debut. It could be a factor, yeah it could be a factor.
I just think that just goes down to match-up. And also the other guys that have come over and not performed, may not have been in their prime.
Mentally, I don't want to be waking up thinking about the same guy for 12 weeks, so that's a blessing.
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