Written by Lauren Murphy and Eduarda Moura | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Eduarda Moura defeated Lauren Murphy via decision at UFC Nashville this past Saturday in Tennessee, and was called to Dana White’s room at Bridgestone Arena moments later. Now 2-0 in the flyweight division with back-to-back decisions over Murphy and Veronica Hardy, Moura feels seen as a prospect in the promotion.
“I was surprised,” Moura told MMA Fighting. “As soon as I left the fight, I was told that Dana White wanted to talk to me. [I thought] ‘My God, he’s going to fire me’ [laughs]. Out of nowhere? ‘No, when he calls a fighter is for a good reason.’ And I left that room crying like a baby. [laughs]”
Moura said the UFC CEO wanted to reassure her that even though Murphy was not ranked in the top 15 of the flyweight division going into the event, they saw her as one of the best.
Murphy won five in a row between 2019 and 2021 to earn a shot at Valentina Shevchenko’s belt, a match she lost in the fourth round. The veteran beat Miesha Tate via decision in 2022, and had been sidelined since losing a decision to Jessica Andrade in January 2023 in Brazil.
“[White] looked at me and said [Murphy] was the No. 5,” Moura said. “[He said] the only reason why she wasn’t [ranked] was because she was retiring, but I was fighting the No. 5 ranked. He said he’s not the one that does the rankings, journalists do that. He was justifying why I wasn’t ranked. And I couldn’t give a crap about the ranking [laughs].”
Moura debuted Tuesday in the rankings, sitting on the No. 15 spot.
“I fight MMA for three and a half years,” Moura said. “I’m young. I know my flaws and I know how much I still have to evolve, how much more I have to show. I’m in no rush. One step at a time. Thank God it worked now, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Moura had one request for White in that meeting, and it was being part of the planned UFC Fight Night event in Rio de Janeiro for Oct. 11. And she already has an opponent in mind: Jamey-Lyn Horth.
“I’m not expecting a top-ranked opponent next, but I’ll fight whoever they send me,” Moura said. “We asked for Jamey-Lyn Horth, because she fought last month and is available. But again, I’ll fight whoever the UFC sends me.”
Moura will take a day off to celebrate with the family in Brazil and then resume training on Wednesday.
“I already expected it to be a war,” Moura said of the Murphy win. “I was a bit too nervous because that was the most important fight of my career. I know I could have delivered more, but I played safe a little bit. I knew how dangerous and durable she was so I followed the strategy. She had a good guillotine in the third but I wasn’t going to tap there. I’d go out, but I wouldn’t tap [laughs].
“I was happy that Lauren sent me a message on Instagram [on Sunday] thanking me for the fight and saying she gave her all in there, and saying she’s a fan of mine now and will cheer for me going forward. F*ck, I’m her fan! I really respect her story.”