Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC) was tasked with welcoming Bellator and PFL veteran Pico (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to the octagon in the co-headliner at United Center in Chicago. Just like every other time in his career, he refused to lose and emerged with a first-round knockout triumph to further elevate his own profile in the 145-pound title picture.

Aaron Pico's long-awaited UFC debut came with the possibility of an immediate title shot with a win. Instead, the former uber prospect and Bellator MMA star was knocked out cold in spectacular and violent fashion at UFC 319 in Chicago .

Lerone Murphy produced an epic knockout finish to his co-main event matchup with Aaron Pico last night (Sat., Aug. 16, 2025) at UFC 319 LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside United Center in Chicago,

Aaron Pico was left unconscious on the floor for several scary moments after his fourth knockout loss in MMA. Daniel Cormier has now described the concerning scene he witnessed in the Octagon on Saturday night. The UFC cameras panned away from Pico as medical professionals attended to him at UFC 319.

Lerone Murphy got the highlight moment he was hoping for, while spoiling the debut of Aaron Pico in the UFC 319 co-main event.

In Chicago, an exquisitely timed, perfectly placed spinning back elbow brought an abrupt end to Aaron Pico’s UFC debut Saturday night.

Lerone Murphy made a statement at UFC 319, stopping Aaron Pico with a spinningelbow knockout. The victory further elevated his place in the title picture andsparked calls for a title shot. The post Lerone Murphy Calls for Title Shot After Epic KO Over Aaron Pico at UFC319 appeared first on Heavy Sports.

Lerone Murphy kept his unbeaten record intact and further established himself as a featherweight contender with a first-round knockout win over Aaron Pico in the co-main event of UFC 319.

UFC 319 is officially in the books, and while Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant win over Dricus Du Plessis stole headlines in the main event, it was Lerone Murphy who delivered one of the night’s most viral moments.

Since Khamzat Chimaev won two fights in 10 days to kick off his UFC career in 2020, a title shot has felt inevitable. Chimaev finally gets that opportunity on Saturday night when he challenges for Dricus du Plessis' middleweight championship in the main event of UFC 319.