Her face bloodied and her eyes puffy, Lauren Murphy of Eagle River jumped for joy Saturday night after winning a split decision on the undercard of UFC 247 in Houston, Texas.
Murphy, the seventh-ranked women’s flyweight in the world, improved to 12-4 with her second straight victory. She defeated eighth-ranked Andrea Lee 29-28, 28-29, 30-27 in a fight that delivered lots of action.
“A tough, bloody, competitive fight from two tough chicks,” Murphy said after the fight.
It was a three-round slugfest. Lee, whose record slipped to 11-4, lost her mouthpiece twice in the first round, and both fighters got in multiple punches and kicks in the fast-paced battle. Both fighters landed 107 total strikes.
Murphy got her start with the Alaska Fighting Championships. She’s a former Invicta world champion who trains in Arizona.