Lerone Murphy could also be on the cusp of his first UFC title alternative, however the Manchester native hopes to in the future go from the Octagon to the Olympic stage for, of all sports activities, Pickleball.
In August, ‘The Miracle’ scored his ninth win beneath the UFC banner, scoring an epic first-round knockout over former Bellator star Aaron Pico in Chicago. The victory seemingly thrust Murphy to the entrance of the road within the featherweight division, even incomes the eye of division champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Whereas his conflict with ‘The Nice’ feels inevitable, Murphy has aspirations that may even be greater than a UFC championship.
“I’m simply studying, simply getting higher, however I’m aiming for the Olympics, and I’m taking part in with teammate Jordon Barton, James Steers, and Tom, who owns the health club,” Murphy mentioned in the above clip. “We’re going to have an awesome recreation at the moment. Let’s go.
For these unfamiliar, Pickleball is a paddle sport that mixes components of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. So far, Pickleball has not been launched to the Olympics, nevertheless it was formally acknowledged by the Worldwide Olympic Committee in 2019, paving the best way for it to be launched as early because the 2032 Summer season Video games in Brisbane.
Murphy’s Olympic Pickleball aspirations could have to attend some time, however that’ll give the Manchester High Staff star loads of time to construct a legacy contained in the Octagon earlier than shifting on to one of many fastest-growing sports activities in america.
