Lerone Murphy of United Kingdom looks on during his Featherweight Boutd during the UFC 242 event at The Arena on September 07, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Lerone Murphy became a successful MMA fighter despite a shooting incident in 2013
UFC featherweight fighter Lerone Murphy scored an impressive victory over veteran Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Fight Island 8.
The 29-year-old from Manchester is one of the most exciting names on the roster. His rise through the ranks to fight on the main card of the biggest MMA promotion sounds like a fairytale when you consider how he was introduced to the sport.
On 25th May, 2013, Murphy was shot in the face twice in broad daylight in the streets of Manchester, England. He was rushed to an infirmary where it was reported that he had a bullet inside his neck and chin, which he, as legend has it, spat out.
Speaking to The Athletic (subscription required), he himself described the incident as:
“Have you played Call of Duty? When you get shot, it goes, beeeeeeeeeeep. It was like that. … And I stood up, and it felt like my mouth was heavy. So I spat on the floor — and the bullets came out on the floor.”
The assailants were arrested only 10 months later but by then, the man they call The Miracle was training at the All Powers Gym in Stockport. Success followed shortly after.
After running through the regional MMA scene, he was soon in the international arena. He debuted against Khabib Nurmagomedov’s close friend, Zubair Tukhugov, at UFC 242 in September 2019.
His story was again shared by an MMA writer on Twitter after The Miracle won via unanimous decision this week.
Lauren Murphy gave a surprised reaction to it, saying that she was under the impression that she was the toughest Murphy in the promotion.
It is genuinely crazy to hear that story and then see Lerone Murphy do what he does inside the octagon, Boasting a 9-0-1 MMA record, Murphy has seemingly not let the incident impact him in any negative and continues to go strong.
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