Tag: Eduarda Moura

  • ‘Went Out Like A Gangster’ – Fans Salute Lauren Murphy As She Retires Following Loss To Eduarda Moura At UFC Nashville

    ‘Went Out Like A Gangster’ – Fans Salute Lauren Murphy As She Retires Following Loss To Eduarda Moura At UFC Nashville

    After about a decade in the Octagon, Lauren Murphy hangs up the gloves following her loss to Eduarda Moura during the UFC Nashville prelims.

    “I’ve been in the UFC 10 years, [in MMA] for 15,” Murphy said. “I want to thank me for doing all this hard motherf****** work at 41 years old. I’m still in here f****** these girls up.”

    Moura scored a couple of notable shots on Murphy early before a Murphy takedown — only for Moura to get up right away and score one of her own. Moura controlled the action from there and seemed to land speedier, more effective strikes the rest of the way.

    Moura continued to get the better of Murphy in terms of striking in the second round. Murphy was able to land her own fair share as Moura slowed in the second half of the frame; however, Moura was still the quicker fighter with better striking.

    Murphy pulled off a near-fairytale ending out of nowhere in the third round, locking up a guillotine choke that looked tight but failed to get the submission. The fight’s pace slowed from there, though Murphy landed the better strikes up until the final 30 seconds, when Moura started to get some of her gas tank and power back.

    No judge gave Murphy a 10-8 for the near finish, however, as Moura took the cards with three 29-28s.

    Lauren Murphy Retires Following Loss To Eduarda Moura

    Moura is now 3-1 in the UFC since her first-round submission of Janaina Silva on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023.

    Despite a string of losses early in her UFC tenure, Murphy found her groove in 2019 as a flyweight, ending her UFC tenure 6-3 since then. Murphy lost three of the last four fights in her UFC career, which began with an unsuccessful flyweight title challenge against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 266.

  • UFC 309 Fighter Recalls ‘Traumatizing’ Weight Cut In Her Last Fight That Won’t Prevent Her From Trying Again

    UFC 309 Fighter Recalls ‘Traumatizing’ Weight Cut In Her Last Fight That Won’t Prevent Her From Trying Again

    Brazil’s Eduarda Moura returns for her third outing inside the Octagon this weekend at UFC 309 where unlike in her previous UFC bouts, she isn’t expecting to battle with the scales before fight night comes around. Having signed to the promotion last year via the Contender Series, the 30-year old failed to hit the strawweight limit in both of her previous fights.

    Her return at Madison Square Garden on November 16 sees her move up a weight class to flyweight where she will open the card in a bout with Veronica Hardy. Though she has gone 1-1 thus far in the UFC, her attempt to make strawweight last June was a clear indicaton that something needed to change.

    In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, she spoke in detail about the brutal 17-pound weight cut that she went through in order to face Denise Gomes in Louisville, Kentucky. Despite everything that she went through only to lose a split decision, Moura says competing at 115-pounds isn’t out of the question if she can do it right but for the time being, her focus is on staying active and that makes flyweight a better fit.

    “My body rejected it and I felt so many cramps I basically didn’t sleep during fight week. I’m traumatized, but I’ll go back to 115—but not right now [laughs]. I think we can change a few things and study more. Truth is, I just want to fight. I think I’ll have more fights at 125 and I need to work.”

    Moura believes that along with it negatively impacting her performance against Gomes physically, she thinks her struggles gave her opponent a mental advantage after she handed Moura a bucket to throw up in before they stood face-to-face after the weigh-ins.

    “I kept remembering that scene, her getting me a bucket. That was the first time I felt like crying before a fight. I was so frustrated I couldn’t make weight. I was so nervous, and I kept trying to disguise. I was singing as I walked out to play cool, and I never do that. I was completely lost. I felt in my heart something was wrong.”

    Like many fighters, Moura believes that she has more advantages at strawweight because of the size difference between her and her opponents. She’s not ready to fully commit to flyweight but that could all change with a big win on Saturday.

    “I want to be champion and I believe I have great advantage at strawweight. I’m tall and have good reach, and the power, too, but I’m still traumatized [laughs]. We will think about it. It depends on the opportunity.”