Alexander Volkanovski has insisted that Lerone Murphy is a “no-brainer” as his next challenger for the UFC featherweight title, after the Briton’s stunning knockout of Aaron Pico. In the co-main event of UFC 319 on Saturday (16 August), Murphy finished Pico with a spinning back elbow in the first round, brutally ending the latter’s UFC debut.

UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) was zoning in on numerous opponents for his next title defense. At one point it appeared to be Yair Rodriguez, then the champion shifted his focus to the winner of the originally scheduled bout between Movsar Evloev and Aaron Pico at UFC on ABC 9 in July.

The UFC 319 co-main event had the makings of a potential No. 1 contender fight and Lerone Murphy stated his case in no uncertain terms with an unreal first-round spinning back elbow knockout of Aaron Pico. Murphy is undefeated in 17 pro bouts, including a 9-0-1 mark in the UFC, and his finish of Pico could propel him into a long-awaited title shot.