Overview
- Pico publicly renewed his push for a rematch with Lerone Murphy in comments published Wednesday and said he believes he can beat Murphy this time.
- Pico was knocked out by Murphy with a spinning back elbow in his UFC debut at UFC 319, a loss he says taught him lessons about fight IQ and timing.
- Since that defeat, Pico rebuilt momentum with wins over Patricio Freire and a first-round stoppage of Losene Keita at UFC 333.
- Murphy, who was a Top‑5 featherweight when he beat Pico, later lost a title‑eliminator to Movsar Evloev, a result that shifts the division’s pecking order and makes a rematch more consequential.
- Pico says his adjustments in training and mindset under his team position him to avenge the loss, and a victory over Murphy would likely move him closer to a shot at the UFC featherweight title.