Murphy to fight ‘Queen of Mean’ Saturday in Kansas City
Undefeated mixed martial arts fighter Lauren Murphy of Eagle River hasn’t been inside the octagon in five months, but that will change Saturday night.
Murphy will face Muay Thai specialist Miriam Nakamoto in the co-main event for Invicta Fighting Championship 7 in Kansas City.
“It’s going to be a bloodbath,” Murphy told The MMA Corner. “She has a really beautiful skill set to show off and I’m super tough. It’s not like she’s going to throw one kick and it’s going to crumble me. I have an iron jaw and I can take punishment if I have to.”
Let’s hope that’s not the case.
Murphy, of Chugiak High fame, is the most successful women’s MMA fighter to come out of Alaska. The 30-year-old is 7-0 as a pro and ranked top 10 in the world.
Nakamoto, 37, is only 2-0 in MMA. But she holds WBC, WCK and WMC World Muay Thai titles. Her nickname is the ‘Queen of Mean.’
“She’s tough, but the whole [bantamweight] division is tough. You can’t let that scare you,” Murphy said. “I’ve been working really hard on my standup. I work hard on everything.
“I want to be one of the best in the world and she’s one of the best strikers in the world. If I want to be the best, I have to fight the best. I can’t let the fact that she’s good at one thing or another stop me from chasing my dream.”