Is matchmaking fair? Murphy's long road to UFC title contender
On a nine-fight win streak in the promotion, the Briton's stunning spinning elbow knockout of Aaron Pico in August put him in pole position to be the next challenger for Alexander Volkanovski's featherweight title. Murphy called for his shot, while Volkanovski agreed the 34-year-old deserved it. Instead, the UFC went in a different direction, with Volkanovski having to defend his belt in a rematch against Diego Lopes in February, who he had beaten 10 months prior.
The decision was an eye-opener for UFC London headliner Murphy. Despite an unbeaten start to his 18-fight career and going viral with the knockout of Pico, he had been overlooked. Murphy chuckles wryly before adopting a more serious tone as he explains why he missed out.
"It kind of woke me up to a lot of things, but I understand it," Murphy tells BBC Sport. "You have to understand it's an entertainment business. It shouldn't be that way but it is that way.
" Instead Murphy has been pitted against Russian Movsar Evloev at UFC London on Saturday, in what on paper looks like a number-one contender fight. Even before a punch is thrown, Murphy's title credentials are being questioned by rival fighter Jean Silva, who claims he will be given the next shot at Volkanovski because he is more exciting. As Murphy's battle to secure his title shot goes on, BBC Sport spoke to fighters on the card about the UFC's potentially evolving matchmaking policy and why top contenders sometime get overlooked.
Following Pimblett's footsteps - but Riley is 'different animal' Benidorm's champion 'opening gate' for MMA in Spain The UFC is a rankings-based organisation where the higher-ranked fighters are seen as the more deserving of title shots. Murphy is ranked third at featherweight, with Evloev first, so why did second-ranked Lopes get chosen to fight Volkanovski again after previously suffering defeat? The answer may lie in MMA existing as a sport, but the UFC being a multi-billion pound business that has grown rapidly in the past 10 years.