Former Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion Lauren Murphy has received a new opponent for her upcoming bout on Sunday night at UFC Fight Night 83: “Cerrone vs Oliveira” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Murphy now faces off against unbeaten UFC newcomer Kelly Faszholz on the preliminary card.
UFC officials confirmed the change today. Murphy was originally slated to battle TUF 18 semi-finalist Sarah “Cheesecake” Moras, who was forced to withdraw due to an injury. Murphy most recently dropped a controversial decision in April, while Faszholz earned a submission win in November.
Murphy (8-2-0) captured the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship in late 2013 and she brought an unblemished professional record into her UFC debut the following April. Facing off against Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann at UFC Fight Night 47, Murphy appeared to have done enough to earn a decision victory in the minds of many observers, but the judges disagreed and Murphy walked away with a disappointing Split Decision defeat. After a one-year layoff, she returned to action against Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche at UFC Fight Night 63, but suffered another contentious decision loss.
Faszholz (3-0-0) kicked off her pro career with a quick submission victory in June 2013 before taking a two-year hiatus from the sport. She returned to action this past July and finished Summer Bradshaw with a third-round guillotine choke. Four months later, she stepped back into the cage and picked up her biggest victory to date by submitting Brittney Elkin. Faszholz now steps into her UFC debut on just five days’ notice in hopes of upsetting former Invicta FC champion Murphy and establishing herself as a future contender in the bantamweight division.
UFC Fight Night 83: “Cerrone vs Oliveira” takes place this Sunday, February 21st, at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The event is headlined by a lightweight bout between Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira, and also features a second women’s bantamweight matchup between Marion “The Belizean Brusier” Reneau and Ashlee Evans-Smith.
(Photo Credit: UFC)
Great to see Lauren get a fight after Moras dropped out due to injury. Murphy is finally getting an opportunity to demonstrate her skills and enormous potential. Big kudos to Faszholz for stepping in on less than a week’s notice against effectively a top 10 UFC Bantamweight on the big stage. I dp wish her the best of luck but I’m afraid it will be a very difficult night for her.