Murphy suffers first pro loss in UFC debut
Faced with the greatest challenge of her fighting life, Lauren Murphy of Eagle River performed valiantly in her UFC debut but lost a split decision in Maine.
Her opponent, former Olympic silver medal winning wrestler Sara McMann, relied on her grappling background to control the action on the ground and win on points. Two of three judges had McMann winning the bantamweight fight as part of UFC Fight Night 47.
Some people would say McMann won the wrestling, but Murphy won the fight.
The 30-year-old former Invicta champion from Alaska landed three times more strikes [203 to 72], many of which were thrown from her back. But McMann held advantages in significant strikes landed [58 to 25] and takedowns [5 to 0].
It was the first pro loss for Murphy [8-1], who got her start in the Alaska Fighting Championship.
Murphy signed a four-fight deal with UFC, although she told me few fighters stick around after starting 0-2. She is a driven, professional fighter who will be better next time she climbs into the cage.