English fighters have been making a lot of noise in the UFC recently, with an interim heavyweight champion crowned from that nation, and a few more steadily making their climb to the top. The British masses have one undefeated lightweight fighter to cheer for currently in the UFC, Lerone Murphy, who’ll be back in action this weekend to headline UFC Fight Night 256 against veteran Josh Emmett.
Hailing from the popular city of Manchester, the 33-year-old seems like he’s on top of his game as he’s unbeaten in his overall MMA career since the beginning of his journey as a pro fighter. With 7 knockouts, 8 decision wins, and a draw on his UFC debut, Lerone Murphy earned the nickname ‘The Miracle’ over the years. But what does it really represent? Well, let’s inspect that a little before we see Murphy back in action inside the Apex in Las Vegas.
What does Lerone Murphy’s nickname ‘The Miracle’ mean?
Born in the famous city of Manchester, known for being a sporting and cultural hub, Lerone Murphy once revealed that MMA played a significant role in giving him a purpose. He also mentioned that growing in his area was by no means easy. “Especially in areas like we grew up in, Old Trafford, Levenshulme, all around those type of areas, it’s full of kids like me. Literally, it’s hard,” Murphy told the BBC in 2023.
However, that was far from the real reason why he chose to become an MMA fighter. The fact that he didn’t have any “direction” given the environment he grew up in, the sport of MMA gave him an avenue to do something big and meaningful, claiming it to be better than soccer, which is a big sport in England. “A lot of kids don’t have direction, so with MMA, there’s a lot of opportunity… You can literally come from nothing and get there. There’s no politics in it like football. You put in the hard work, you get good things back.”
The 33-year-old would later reveal that his nickname, ‘The Miracle’, resonates with the way he scratched and clawed his way into the biggest MMA promotion in the world.“It’s the challenge that gets me up to do this, just waking up every day and chipping away at this goal,” Murphy added.
However, ‘The Miracle’ moniker is also a reference to certain horrifying instances in his life. He actually survived death. Yes, Lerone Murphy had a couple of near-death experiences, and one of those saw him getting shot.
Lerone Murphy’s horrific car and shooting accident
Lerone Murphy’s life hasn’t been any less than a rollercoaster ride. During an interview in early 2024, he revealed a scar on his cheeks from getting shot once. The bullet came out right through it, leaving him unconscious and bloodied. It’s a harrowing thing to even comprehend being in such a situation, but just like a ‘miracle’, Murphy pulled through.
“So I get shot, I went on the floor, I woke up, and it’s just like, beeeeeeeeeeep. That’s all I could hear,” the 33-year-old revealed before his debut at UFC 242. “And I stood up, and it felt like my mouth was heavy. So I spat on the floor, and the bullets came out on the floor. And I jumped in my cousin’s car, and we went to the hospital.”
Lerone Murphy’s second near-death incident, which was almost fatal, involved him in a tragic accident. While enjoying a day out cycling, he got hit by a car and was abandoned to bleed out. The ambulance took almost an hour to help him. “I was bleeding out. I don’t know, I felt numb. Still numb, it’s weird. It’s just one of the things, like, if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen, but I don’t think I was scared,” Murphy told the BBC.
One could only imagine having these two near-death experiences, and Lerone Murphy still remembers how he felt when he found himself in those situations. As such, he has made it clear that he doesn’t like to glorify the fact that he survived those moments through his moniker. In fact, Murphy once considered changing his nickname altogether so that his son wouldn’t get introduced to it when he grows up a little.
“It’s not something fun; it’s not a cool story. Maybe it is to other people, but it’s not something I want to be known for,” The 33-year-old revealed on The Craic with Petesy Carroll. “Obviously, my son will one day ask me about it, but imagine him typing that into YouTube and him seeing all of this come up, do you know what I mean? It’s negative, who cares? I don’t.”
Lerone Murphy seems to be in the right place now. His record represents how tough he’s turned out to be after all his experiences since childhood. Will that toughness take him all the way to winning gold? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
The post Meaning Behind Lerone Murphy’s Nickname ‘Miracle’ & Near-Death Experiences Behind It appeared first on EssentiallySports.
