The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Daniel Cormier TV - Lerone Murphy on KNOCKING OUT Aaron Pico, championship fight next vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Episode Date: August 16, 2025

Lerone Murphy makes his DEBUT on the Daniel Cormier's DC Check-In series, as he takes on Aaron Pico in the co-main event at UFC 319 in Chicago in a number-one contenders fight. Murphy talks about the hype surrounding Pico heading into his UFC debut, and why he's ready to silence those already placing Pico in a title fight against Alexander Volkanovski. Plus, Lerone gets into his undefeated record, and why after beating Pico the UFC will have to give him the title shot vs. Volk. And don't miss DC give Murphy a hard time about dodging him in FIFA!#VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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All right, guys, I just finished checking in with Lorraine Murphy. So that brings me to my role performance playbook. Guys, these two guys are fighting in a very important fight this weekend. For Aaron Pico, he has got to find ways to set traps and take Lorone Murphy down. If he doesn't take Lorone Murphy down, for as good as his boxing is, he is going to struggle because of Lorone's ability to create space and distance and control the tempo to fight. And for Lorone Murphy, it's all about frustrating Pico, forcing Pico into making bad decisions that ultimately cost him.

We have seen Lerone do this multiple times. We've seen him defend takedowns from great wrestlers before. I don't know if he's ever seen anyone like this. So he's got to defend takedowns, control the space in the distance, and his footwork has got to be on point better than it's ever been in his entire career. These two guys are fighting for what is potentially the number one contendership. It's a massive fight for both. They need to follow my role performance playbook to get the job done.

I've been calling you out for the longest. Lorone, you're still running. We let's play. You are a Manchester man. You probably have in your room, right? I do. Bro, I've retired. I've retired from FIFA because I went so much.

Like I've not been played it for a... Lorone, this is such a lie. I swear. I went to Manchester. I could feel the footy around me. You know, we call it footy as soccer fans. Footy. I love footy.

And I go to Manchester City, beautiful stadium. Are you United or City? Yes, United. That's rough. That's rough. Yeah, right now it is, yeah. It's rough. But I always wondered, when I walked those grounds,

everyone in there seemed as though, especially the ones from Manchester, seemed as though that if there was an opportunity or a challenge, they would step up to it. You're the only man in Manchester that gets challenged to play FIFA and will not step up to it.

I've been begging you. One day I'm online, I see your name. We became friends. I see your name online. I send the invite. Lorone, what's up? Dude, doesn't, he goes me. Lorone, what's up?

So you're telling me I've never messaged you on PlayStation Network. I've not seen no message. Lorone. What's up? I called him out on Twitter a few times when I was in my heyday, ready to play, and you served it. That's bullshit, man. You can play any time. I would smash you.

No, no, no, no. I'm thinking I beat you three to one. You got to play NFL, NFL games. Football's not for the Americans. No, it is for me. It's not. It's not. A, tiki ticca.

All over the field, tiki ticke. So you see you out. Looking forward to beating you. Okay. All right. Well, you're here, you stay at this hotel. Yes. When you need to take your mind off it, I'll bring my playstation up to your room.

Yeah. I'll come on your grounds and I'll beat you. Sweet. Deal. So all the hoodlums, the gangs that they have in European soccer, I'm going to his old town and beat them. That's it. Guys, I'm here with Lorone Murphy, Lorone.

Big time spot for you, bro. Yes. You're a winner, right? You're a winner. You're a guy that just knows how to win. yet it feels like you are like not as valued as you probably should be. Can you feel that in MMA? Like are you feeling like this is an opportunity for you to finally cement yourself

as like one of the guys? Yeah, for sure. It's a big opportunity, a big spot. UFC 319. It's going to be a lot of eyes on it. And I think it's a good matchup to do that. Aaron Pico comes to fight. It's aggressive like, like, you know.

So I think it's going to be a band burner. Michael Bisbing has long been singing your praises in telling us how special you. were. Do you notice that seeing Mike like kind of always like singing he's very biased by the way. Him and Tom Aspinall. For you and Tom Aspinall, I've never seen somebody. So Mike Bisbing is crazy.

He doesn't hide it. Yeah, yeah, he represents he's representing. He knows though like the UK guys don't get unless you like Paddy Pimler you don't get as much recognition as the other guys. So he's just backing his guys. And giving you guys an opportunity to kind of uplift. For sure

and it's good to see that the first UK champion is behind all the fires and proven. Yeah. So your last fight, you beat. Who did you fight? Josh Schmidt. Josh Schmidt.

Fought him in the same way that you've done. On so many different occasions, right? You control people. How do you control Aaron Pico like that? And do you believe that when you get control, you can force him to make a mistake? Because you're right. He is aggressive.

And he won't want to fight you. You're a guy that fights, but only on your turn. You make them fight your fight. Can you frustrate Aaron Pico and make him make a mistake this weekend? Yeah, that's the plan. That's the plan. He's aggressive.

He's going to come to me in it. So, yeah, let's see. What do you expect from him? Because the guys have not done well coming over here. I mean, patchy mix had so much expectation. God beat. Patricio Pitbull, got beat. I think Michael Chandler's like 2 in 5 or 2 and 6 in the UFC.

Like, what do you expect from him? Do you think that this market? moment will be too much for him? No, he's built to compete his wrestle from a young age, and I think he's in his prime. Some of them guys you've mentioned wasn't in the prime, and they should have come over a lot sooner. So I'm expecting the best version of R&P Co. And I think he's been dreaming of this day for a long time. Many fighters do.

This is the dream, UFC. Lauren, when did you get, when did you hear of this? Like the main, co-main event, UFC 319? Like, what was your initial thought, right? Because he was going to fight a lawyer, two wrestling guys. you're a striker, right? Like, what was your thought when they said, hey, we want you to fight Aaron Pico at UFC 319?

Outside of just give me more money, right? Because most people want more money to fight, like, of course, get paid. But like, what was your original thought? For me, I just need a big breakthrough in it. I need a chance. I need an opportunity to get where I would need to get. And that's the title fight.

So for me, it was like, there's an opportunity I couldn't pass up. A lot of people would say sit out and wait for a better fight, But for me, this is a massive card and a massive spot. Call me an event, I couldn't pass it up. So when you look at this fight, what does it do for Lorone Murphy? Because you're undefeated.

You're the guy that has a long one streak in the UFC. You're the guy that would seem to be getting very close to a championship opportunity. Like, what's the win in this for you outside of being on the big card? The win is you're supposed to be the number one content to fight before. Like you said, you're supposed to fight Mofsa. Dana come out and said that.

that's the number one contender spot. So I've been shifted into that place now, in my eyes. So with a win over Aaron Pico, I'm next in line. Oh, you want a title? You should have a title shot. For sure, for sure. Who's more deserving than me? Mothside was, but he pulled out of fight.

So I believe I'm there now if I win. And if you win that would obviously lead to a championship opportunity, hopefully against Alexander Volcanowski. Like, when you, do you allow you something to think of that? Like, man, I've been doing this for so long. I could be on the verge of fighting for a UFC championship and really changing my life. UFC 319 goes down from Chicago next weekend.

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see dkng.com slash audio. Yeah, for sure, but I can't look past this weekend. It's a big weekend. And obviously, in my mind, for a long time since I've been in the UFC, I thought of fighting Alex Volcanowski. He's been the guy at the top for a while in it. So, yeah, I've got to get through R&P call first,

and then hopefully that's next. In it? You said, in it? Huh? You said he's been the guy at the top, in it? In it? In it? Like, I-N-N-I-T?

Yeah, yeah. So, like, is it, like, isn't he? it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Same thing. But in it? In it? We say in it. In Manchester, we say in it. As in it. Yeah, right? So, Volcanowski's been a man in the top of the division for a long time. In it. Yes. I'm trying to get you to agree with me. Like, what do you think? In it. Okay. Okay. In it. Yeah. That was, I never, uh... Yeah. How would you say that, Danny? In your culture.

I mean, I understand. but what would you say? Isn't he? Yeah, yeah, that's proper English, but... But you're English? This is quick. Like, we speak quick. Okay, he speak quick.

Yeah. That's good. So he is the champion in the weight class, but you got to get through Aaron. Aaron presents some unique problems because he's been boxing since he was a little boy. He's been wrestling since he was a little boy. What have you done specifically to make sure that you can handle the wrestling?

Because that's one thing. I mean, Josh, was a good wrestler, right? You fought many good wrestlers. What have you done specifically to make sure that Aaron Pico doesn't try to use that wrestling and just ground you?

Because if I'm fighting the role, Murphy, if it's a 15-minute fight, my intention is to have you on your back for 12 of them. Yes. Taking you down in the first minute of every round because then that gives me an opportunity

to slow you down. Your footwork and everything is what really does frustrate people and make it hard to fight. What have you done to make sure that isn't the case come Saturday night? Well, I know that.

I know that most people's game plan So I've been working on my lifetime, really, in MMA. So I think I've had back-to-back opponents who have got me ready for that. Dan Ege, good wrestler as well, Josh Emmett's same, and I thought took a cook-off as well. So I feel like I've come on leaps and bounds over and fights and got the experience. Lorrell, what's growing up in Manchester? Like, what's growing up in Manchester that leads to you in this career? Like, when did you know that you wanted to be a fighter?

I mean, I know that there is like, it's tough in Manchester, right? But when did you recognize, hey, I want to be a fighter in my life? Do you know what it was? I just walked into a gym and just started training. And after that first session, I just thought, this is what I love doing this. I love how it makes me feel. And then I just kept going back for more, for more. It was like a drug in it.

How old were you? 22. You started doing that at 22 years old. So what did you do before fighting? I played football when I was a young star. And then from 15 to 22, everything else is like, yeah. School? College?

A little bit, a little bit. Two years of college and then got lost in the wilderness. Lost in the wilderness. Chasing women and shit. Yeah, all that is that, all the bad stuff. What bad stuff? Tell me. Just life, in it?

Just getting up, just mischief, like a young boy in it. It just went astray a bit, I would say, and then MMA put me. back on the right path. That's a story for a lot of people, right? Like you find something that gives your purpose, right? That's it. That's it. Yeah, you find something that gives your purpose and it kind of heads you back where

you want to go. So walking into that gym, what prompted that for you? Yeah, my, well, I used to watch the UFC a lot. I used to be into all the combat sports and stuff like that. But my cousin, my cousin just said, come train. And I was thinking, at the time, I was thinking, like, it was scary. Do you get what I'm saying? It's like, it's a new, it's a new, it's a new,

I'm just like, okay, sweet. So I ended up going and I just loved it. And yeah, I was there every session possible. And then after that, it was just, yeah, I was literally just fell in love with it, got obsessed. Yeah, an obsession. That fear, does it ever leave you though? Because I remember sitting behind the curtain,

every single fight, just the butterflies. But the butterflies let me know that I was ready. Yes. And I was on the verge of something great. Like, does that fear ever leave you? or do you have like a healthy fear for that competition? Yeah, I was speaking to my friend Jordan here about just about the roller course of emotions

and it's just about understanding that where you're at and yeah, you never get used to it. You never get used to it because every fight seems to be bigger. Every fight seems to be bigger. There's more riding on it every time. So it's like, what if he's going to fight the same person every time in the same arena, you might get used to it, you might get used to it,

but there's always new problems, new, new, new, challenges. Yeah. Yeah. And how's your family take to mixed martial arts? Mom, dad, everybody. So my mom is obviously happy. Now I'm doing something positive with my life.

She loves it, but she'll never watch my fight. She doesn't watch you fight? No, no, no, no. She can't even watch it back. She doesn't watch the fight after even if she knows you never lose? No, no, no. She can't even watch it. She says she can't watch me getting punched.

And what about your dad? My dad loves it. He's into, he's into MME. Yeah, he's always messaging me. He sent me a text before saying, oh, I've done my research on Pico and what on. Oh, it's a little pop, like a couple of minutes. What are we doing here? Hey, what are we doing here?

He's funny. My dad, my mom would watch, but she kind of would watch, like, in the, I made her come. Because I was always a mama's voice. So she had no choice but to come. My parents before they went. My dad sometimes would tell me stuff. But it always felt good to go to my dad and, like, as a winner. Right?

Because it feels good to win. Yes. But like for your dad to say, my kid's a champion, that gives a son like a little bit of pride that, of course. That is hard to match. Of course, of course. You always want to meet your parents proud in it.

And that's another motivation for me. It works in many, in it, and it works in many different places in the sentence? It does, it does. It does. It does say, it's a very good word. It's a very good word. It works like, no, yeah, yeah, that's it, that's it.

Yeah, okay, it works, it works. It works in a lot of places. I like it. I'm going to start using it. He's going to say it uncommission. Yeah, I will. I will Lorraine Murphy and Aaron Pico going at it in it. I was there, the Joe Rogan.

He's going to be like, wow. Rogan will be like, what? Loron before I let you go, my guy, what does Saturday night look like to you? Like, have you allowed yourself to envision the walk, the fight, the, the feel? of after getting a victory. Yeah, I try and visualize it as much as I can. I think visualization is the best thing for fighters

just to calm everything down and to kind of feel like you've been there before. Do you get what I'm saying? So, do you get what I'm saying? Yeah, I visualize it all the time. I think I hope the fire goes how I envision it and that's getting a finish and looking great out there.

You think you need a finish? You think if you get a finish, you can like, it would accelerate you a little bit because while you are winning, a lot of times it is you just really, because even Josh Emmett, right, he looks almost lost against you,

but you're not putting him away. Yes, I think it depends in it. For the casuals, they want to see the finishes. I think everybody wants to see finishes, but that's not the end all and be all. I think if I go out there and put on a good performance, it's a performance-based company, and that will do the job.

Absolutely. Lorone Murphy fights Aaron Pico this weekend, at UFC 319 in the co-main event, this guy wins. He knows how to win, has not lost before, and intends to keep it going this weekend. Lorone, thank you so much. Stop running, man.

Make your people problem. Play me your people. Let's go. Let's go. I'm going. I'm going to put a video at the tail into this video once I finish whipping his ass. Until next time, guys, go check out everything Lerone's doing, follow all of his socials, and make sure you watch USC 319 this weekend. Until next time,

like and subscribe and tell you, friends, D.C.'s got a YouTube channel. And I'm checking them with guys like Lorone Murphy. Until next time. Peace. The Volume. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Rockerum stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Gower.

She's an outsider to win the French name. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. This is an IHart podcast.

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