This was certainly the case after Lerone Murphy knocked Aaron Pico out cold in the first round with a devastating spinning elbow. Along with immediately receiving praise from Dana White, Murphy’s win also attracted the attention of Volkanovski, who appeared to zero in on the undefeated Brit as his next challenger.

The last UFC pay-per-view event of the summer produced a new champion and exciting opportunities for more fireworks to end 2025.

Calling Pico the toughest opening minutes he has ever faced, Murphy said he turned his opponent’s aggression against him. UFC President and CEO Dana White clearly approved, handing Murphy a $50,000 performance bonus, while commentator Daniel Cormier went a step further — suggesting Murphy might just be ready for a title shot.

Ever since his 2020 UFC debut, when he earned a trio of dominant victories in a stretch of just 65 days, Khamzat Chimaev has been the promotion's greatest enigma as a fighter who is capable of magic in one performance only to look surprisingly human in his next amid a somewhat consistent stretch of inactivity.

Holloway vs Volkanovski on WatchESPN.