Lauren Murphy

Overview

Fifteen UFC fights, and 11 of them went the full three rounds or more. Lauren Murphy is a flyweight who wins and loses on the scorecards, not by finishing.

She is 8-7 in the UFC, 16-7 across all promotions. Five of her eight UFC wins came by decision, three by finish, and none of the finishes arrived in the first round. Six of her seven losses were decisions too.

Unlike most of her division's finishers, Murphy is a fighter whose résumé is built on rounds, not seconds.

UFC Career

Murphy debuted in August 2014 and dropped back-to-back decisions to Sara McMann (split) and Liz Carmouche (unanimous). She got on the board in February 2016 with a third-round TKO of Kelly Faszholz at 4:55, then lost a unanimous decision to Katlyn Cerminara.

The next stretch was uneven. A split decision over Barb Honchak at The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale was followed by a unanimous loss to Sijara Eubanks. Then came her best run, a five-fight win streak, the longest of her UFC career.

It started with a third-round TKO of Mara Romero Borella in August 2019. Split decisions over Andrea Lee and later Joanne Wood bookended a unanimous win over Roxanne Modafferi and a second-round submission of Liliya Shakirova at UFC 254.

The streak ended in a five-round fight against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 266, which our model rates as an elite opponent. Murphy lost by TKO in round 4, at 4:00. It is her only knockout loss. She bounced back with a unanimous decision over Miesha Tate in July 2022, then lost to Jessica Andrade, a strong opponent by our model, in January 2023.

Her most recent bout, a unanimous decision loss to Eduarda Moura in July 2025, leaves her carrying a two-fight losing streak into her next fight.

Fighting Style

Murphy is a busy striker who is hard to hit cleanly. She throws a lot and avoids many of the shots coming back, though she still takes more strikes than most and her accuracy is not a strong point.

She is very hard to take down and rarely shoots for takedowns herself. She almost never hunts for submissions.

Her finishes have come late. She has two third-round TKOs and one second-round submission, and none in the first round. Five of her eight UFC wins went to the scorecards. She tends to build a fight over time and only sometimes ends it, rather than starting fast.

Notable Wins

• Miesha Tate — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Rodriguez (2022)
• Liliya Shakirova — submission, round 2 at 3:31, UFC 254 (2020)
• Andrea Lee — split decision, round 3, UFC 247 (2020)
• Roxanne Modafferi — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov (2020)

Quick Facts

• Division: Women's Flyweight
• UFC record: 8-7 (3 finishes, 5 decisions)
• Professional record (all promotions): 16-7-0
• UFC debut: 2014
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 5'5" / 67"
• Team: High Altitude Martial Arts
• Born: Anchorage, United States