UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Murphy Betting Tips
Top ten Featherweights go head-to-head this weekend as veteran Josh Emmett faces rising star Lerone Murphy.
With the 145lb title on the line at UFC 314 next week both men will be looking to put themselves into future title conversation with a statement win.
Here we look at some of the best bets from the card at the UFC Apex.
Tip 1 – Lerone Murphy to Win & Over 2.5 Rounds @ 11/20
Josh Emmett (19-4-0) and Lerone Murphy (15-0-1) come into this at differing stages of their UFC careers.
Veteran Emmett did not compete last year having been last seen recording a brutal first-round knockout of Bryce Mitchell in December 2023.
That win was much needed for the 40-year-old, who had lost back-to-back fights against Ilia Topuria and an interim title challenge against Yair Rodriguez, where he was submitted in the second round.
The American went the distance with the recently vacated champion Topuria, however lost all three rounds, including surviving an ultra rare 10-7 round in the first.
Overall Emmett is 10-4 in the UFC with good wins over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige and Shane Burgos.
He brings big power with four TKO wins overall, but landing one of his trademark overhand rights or hooks looks to be his best chance here against the younger and defensively sound Murphy.
The Manchester fighter remains undefeated in his pro career and has made steady progress during his eight-fight run so far in the UFC.
Seven wins and a debut draw has seen Murphy take the number 10 spot in the division, including 2024 unanimous decision wins over Dan Ige and Edson Barboza.
Injuries have slowed the 33-year-old’s progress, having lost 18 months of his career between 2021 and 2023 following a near fatal cycling accident.
A tactical kickboxer with a strong all-round game, Murphy has taken five wins via the judges’ scorecards, with two TKO victories.
Over five rounds expect Murphy to look to control the fight at range and break Emmett down in the second half of the contest.
Tip 2 – Joanderson Brito by KO, TKO or DQ @ 21/20
Joanderson Brito (17-4-1) looks to get back to winning ways here against Pat Sabatini (19-5-0).
Brito is 5-2 in the UFC and was on a five fight win and finish streak until running into William Gomis in Paris last September.
The split decision loss in a close fight was a tough one to take for the Brazilian, who arguably won both the first and second rounds.
The 30-year-old has three TKO and two submission wins in his exciting finish streak with Jack Shore (TKO doctor stoppage), Jonathan Pearce (sub), Westin Wilson (TKO), Lucas Alexander (sub) and Andre Fili (TKO) all failing to see the final bell.
Sabatini, who is predominantly a grappler, has a 6-2 record but is 2-2 in his last four outings stretching back to 2022.
A first-round submission win over Jonathan Pearce in October was his only MMA outing in 2024, while the American was 3-0 when competing in grappling bouts.
Sabatini suffered a nasty first-round TKO at the hands of the next title challenger Diego Lopes in late 2023, who Brito interestingly beat on the Contender Series.
Simply put Sabatini does not have the striking ability to compete on the feet against Brito and possesses an extremely low output.
Brito has a strong 72% grappling defence while clearly posing a submission threat of his own and is fancied to get the finish here.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change