“Life is about taking risks,” she said. “And, as fighters, that’s what we do all the time. And I’m willing to gamble on myself. The team that I’m with, I love them and they love me and I’ve actually had the best camp that I’ve ever had. I really enjoyed the process this camp, I’ve gotten to meet and work with some really amazing people and I’m going into this fight feeling like I’ve done everything I possibly can to give myself the best chance of winning. So, to me, that’s a risk worth taking for sure. I’m not the kind of person that wants to stay somewhere familiar just because it’s familiar. I’d rather take a risk and see if it’s gonna work out for me than always wonder what if?”
At 36, Murphy doesn’t have time for what ifs. She has to chase after what she wants now, and that’s precisely her intention. Luckily (pardon the pun), she’s in a fairly new weight class where the title picture is wide open. A couple more wins at 125 pounds, and Murphy could be in the race for a shot at the belt. And while she knows all this, it’s really all about the here and now for her, and having her new (actually old) squad in her corner has her excited about her return to active duty.
“It’s extremely important and it takes a lot of pressure off,” said Murphy. “I can go in there and just fight and have fun and enjoy my career and be proud of the fact that I’ve done everything I can do. And look how far it’s brought me; I’m ranked in the top ten in the UFC. That’s amazing, that’s crazy, and I’m gonna do everything I can to climb the rankings even more, hopefully get into the top five, and having people behind me that love me and believe in me, I think fighters need that because we do have a hard job and what we do is mentally taxing. And you can’t have people around you that are just gonna bring you down even more. You have to have people that are there to lift you up when you’re feeling down and it’s given me a lot of gratitude as well, and I think that’s super important.”
