UFC on ESPN 11 results: Lauren Murphy out strikes, out grapples Roxanne Modafferi to win third straight fight

Don’t look now but Lauren Murphy might be knocking on the door of title contention in the women’s flyweight division.

On Saturday night, Murphy notched her third straight win in a row with a unanimous decision victory over Roxanne Modafferi in the UFC on ESPN 11 prelims.

Murphy used a potent counter striking game combined with strong wrestling to keep Modafferi off balance round after round until the fight was finished. While Modafferi looked comfortable on her feet early, she fell in love with straight punches while Murphy was mixing up her combinations in return.

The variation of punches being thrown benefitted Murphy in round two when she landed a quick counter right that put Modafferi on wobbly legs. Murphy rushed forward in an attempt to seize on the opening but Modafferi did a good job staying out of trouble until she recovered.

While she didn’t get the finish, Murphy’s confidence surged as she began pressing forward with more aggression and event putting Modafferi down with a convincing takedown.

With five minutes remaining, Modafferi’s corner urged her to take the fight to Murphy because the first two rounds could have easily been split between them. Modafferi listened as she began moving forward while throwing punches but Murphy was still out landing her by focusing on her counter attacks.

In the end, Murphy just did a better job connecting with her punches while out striking Modafferi in all three rounds.

The unanimous decision win gives Murphy her third straight win and a 4-1 record in her past five. As the flyweight division continues to search for viable contenders to challenge champion Valentina Shevchenko, Murphy has now emerged as a new threat.