"Murphy KO's Pico. Everybody's going to pick Ruffy's KO over Green or Prates' spinning-back-elbow finish of Neal, but neither carried the weight Murphy's spinning-back-elbow knockout of Aaron Pico at UFC 319. For years, Murphy had been overlooked by both the UFC and the fans, but not anymore. On a wild night in Chicago, the man who usually lets his fists do the talking, or elbows in this case, thrust himself firmly into the title conversation."
"Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira. The most impactful finish of the year. While there were other big finishes this year, Topuria silencing the Vegas crowd by stopping Oliveira in round one catapulted him into the upper echelon of the whole roster as he now stands alongside Islam Makhachev as one of the best fighters in the world today. It was so good that it has many liking his chances should he go into professional boxing."
"For 2025, I'll side with Lerone Murphy finishing Aaron Pico. I've followed Pico's career from day one, have been lucky enough to talk with him several times at pressers and in scrums as he worked his way up through Bellator. The kid (and he's no longer a kid) is the real deal, and his arrival in the UFC was long awaited. And then Murphy absolutely derailed probably the biggest debut of the year with his spinning back elbow."
Lerone Murphy delivered a spinning-back-elbow knockout of Aaron Pico at UFC 319 that became the year’s most significant finish. Murphy had been overlooked for years by both the promotion and fans before the Chicago knockout thrust him into title contention. Ilia Topuria stopped Charles Oliveira in round one, silencing the Vegas crowd and elevating Topuria into the sport’s upper echelon alongside Islam Makhachev. Other notable finishes included Ruffy’s KO and Prates’ spinning-back-elbow of Neal, but Murphy’s blow carried unique weight by derailing Pico’s highly anticipated UFC debut and marking one of the most violent knockouts in promotion history.
Read at Cageside Press
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