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| Josh Culibao targets a knockout against unbeaten opponent Lerone Murphy. |
PASIG--With a chance of moving up to the UFC featherweight rankings on the line, Filipino-Australian fighter Josh Culibao plans to quickly stop English opponent Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura on Sunday (Philippine Time) at the O2 Arena in London.
Speaking in an online media availability on Wednesday, Culibao, currently at 11-1-1 with a three-fight winning streak, targets a knockout against the undefeated Murphy (12-0-1) that could silence his hometown crowd.
"I'm gonna punch and kick his head off, simple. That's it," Culibao said. "I'm gonna go there and punch his head off."
Both Culibao and Murphy are known striking specialists with most of their wins coming by knockouts, but Culibao said he could also opt to go for the submission like what he did against Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC 284 last February in Perth.
"If he gives me his neck, I'm gonna choke him unconscious," Culibao vowed further.
He even projects that he could finish Murphy off way early into the fight.
"The first round would be perfect. I catch him on his chin, and he goes down, and I put his lights out completely," Culibao further said.
For the first time in his career, Culibao will be competing in the main card of a UFC event, opening the pay-per-view part of the promotion's London card that features a heavyweight clash between fifth-ranked Tom Aspinall and 10th-ranked Marcin Tybura.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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