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Movsar Evloev put a huge dent in Lerone Murphy’s featherweight title dream as the Russian secured a majority decision victory at UFC London.

In a fight seen by many as a number one contender contest at the O2 Arena, Evloev ground his British opponent down as the fight wore on to win, with two judges scoring it 48-46 in the Russian’s favour and one deeming it a draw at 47-47.

Manchester’s Murphy had many good moments in a competitive contest but an injury to the 34-year-old’s hip in the third round left Evloev finishing the fight stronger.

The defeat ends Murphy’s 18-fight unbeaten streak, while Evloev, 32, extends his undefeated record to 20 fights and puts himself in prime position to face champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Murphy is ranked third in UFC’s featherweight rankings and is likely to need a landmark win over a high-ranked opponent to put himself back in the title picture.

“Sorry for not giving you a fight. Make sure Evloev gets a title shot. He deserves it,” said Murphy, who remained positive despite defeat.

“Yes, my hip popped in the third round, but no excuses. I’ll be back. I’ve got work to do, but i’ll be back.”

Despite some impressive wins from British fighters like Nathaniel Wood and Mason Jones, the atmosphere lacked the buzz of previous UFC shows in London.

Murphy came into the contest after missing out on a title fight against champion Alexander Volkanovski in January, with Diego Lopes being given the opportunity instead.

Murphy did not get the rousing reception from the home fans like Aspinall or Pimblett have in the past as he made a business-like walkout, but he was cheered as he stepped into the octagon.

Evloev was booed heavily but embraced his reception as he smiled and made a heart-shaped gesture with his fingers towards the crowd.

Encouraged by chants of “Oh Miracle Murphy”, some of the Mancunian’s best work was done with his back to the cage, as he landed a one-two uppercut combination and tried to keep Evloev at bay with leg kicks.

Evloev was predicted to grapple with Murphy but it was not until the third round, with the Briton gaining the upper hand in the striking, that he attempted his first takedown.

Murphy got to his feet quickly and drew roars from the crowd with a counter right hook, but Evloev would end the round on top as a flurry of strikes opened a cut above the Mancunian’s left eye.

The contest was delayed in the fourth round as Murphy took time to recover from an accidental groin strike in a move for which the Russian was docked a point.

But after telling his corner he had hurt his hip, Murphy struggled to defend takedowns like he had before and Evloev gained the upper hand in the closing stages.

Murphy was roared on by the crowd as he continued to get back to his feet, but Evloev’s nine takedowns by the end of the bout told a telling story.

“I told you I was a better striker than him – joking!” said Evloev.

Meanwhile, Michael ‘Venom’ Page earned his third straight UFC decision win in an underwhelming contest with fellow Briton Sam Patterson.

Page landed 27 strikes to Patterson’s 12 but the contest was heavily booed by fans who grew impatient at the fighters’ lack of volume.

In the co-main event, Liverpool’s Luke Riley remained undefeated as he beat Michael Aswell Jr by unanimous decision for the 13th win of his career.

Riley did not get the knockout which he predicted and the fans were anticipating, but it was a deserved win as he landed the more impactful strikes throughout.

There were impressive victories for Wales’ Mason Jones, who overwhelmed Axel Sola in a bruising back-and-forth encounter to win by a unanimous decision, and London’s Nathaniel Wood, who also won on points against Losene Keita.

Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter were both knocked out in the third round of the Miami Open, ending British hopes in the singles in Florida.

Norrie, 30, suffered a 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 defeat by 21-year-old Alex Michelsen of the United States in his first match of the tournament.

The 23rd seed, who replaced Jack Draper as British number one last week, lost a tight first set after Michelsen finally broke his serve with his sixth set point of the 12th game.

Norrie bounced back from a 3-0 deficit in the second set to force a tie-break which he won to force a deciding set.

However, a break in the third game of the third set proved pivotal for Michelsen as he served his way into the last 16 on home soil.

Muchova broke 29-year-old Boulter’s serve twice in the first set and only needed one more in the second set to go 6-5 ahead before she wrapped up the victory.

Elsewhere, British number four Fran Jones also exited the tournament, retiring in the second set of her match with American Jessica Pegula through illness.

Jones, 25, had knocked out Venus Williams in the first round despite feeling under the weather but struggled against Pegula.

Pegula had won the first set 6-1 and despite a medical timeout Jones, who was seen coughing several times during the match, decided at 3-0 down in the second set she was not well enough to continue.

“I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to play Venus, but it’s a whole different ball game playing Jess,” Jones said.

The fight for Champions League football appears to be turning into the race that no-one wants to win.

For the second year in a row, it is all but certain that the top five teams in the Premier League will qualify for next season’s Champions League.

But shock defeats and inconsistency means the form of the so-called top sides is falling off a cliff.

Defeats for Liverpool and Chelsea have opened the door for a team to come out of left-field and clinch a coveted Champions League place.

Arsenal are on track to win the Premier League, with only Manchester City putting up a meagre attempt to stay in the race.

That leaves three Champions League spots up for grabs with Manchester United (55 points), Aston Villa (51) and Liverpool (49) currently occupying those places.

Only Arsenal and City are unbeaten in their past six Premier League games, with the teams below them all struggling to find consistency.

Manchester United top the Premier League’s form table for the past 10 games, winning 23 points.

They are enjoying a resurgence under Michael Carrick and remain in a strong position in terms of Champions League qualification, but victory in Friday’s 2-2 draw at Bournemouth would have closed the gap to Manchester City to four points before the international break.

Aston Villa have the longest winning run of all the top-flight teams this season, winning eight in a row between November and December.

Their results have fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, with Unai Emery’s side losing three successive matches as their grip on third place loosened.

Defending champions Liverpool have lost 10 Premier League games in a season for the first time since 2015-16 and defeat by Brighton meant Arne Slot’s side missed out on the chance to leapfrog Villa into fourth.

“There is always pressure at Liverpool, on me and the players,” Slot said after the game. “That is completely normal.

Everton have competed sporadically in Europe throughout the 21st century, most recently in 2017-18 when they featured in the Europa League.

They have not featured in the Champions League proper since 1970-71, when it was known as the European Cup.

But eighth in the Premier League, just three points off the top five with seven league games to go, the Toffees are in serious contention to not only compete in Europe but perhaps even reach the continent’s top competition.

Manager David Moyes was keen not to get carried away with the idea of Champions League football at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but did not shy away from what being in Europe would mean to the club.

“I’d love to say it was [a possibility] as I’m trying to be more positive than I would normally be, but for Everton to even be in the mix for Europe is unbelievable, whether it is Conference League or Champions League,” Moyes said.

“We were sitting here last year just beginning to edge ourselves away from relegation and still had lots of money to pay off, new ownership and 10 or 12 players out of contract – so for us to be in the position we are now is just great.

“I can imagine, if we could possibly do it, what it would do for the crowds here as Evertonians are desperate to get back amongst it.”

Champions League football might have seemed like a far-away dream for a club who have spent more time trying to avoid relegation in recent seasons, but under Moyes they have enjoyed a resurgence that has almost made that dream a reality.

Before Monday’s draw with Wolves, Brentford played a video on screens around Gtech Community Stadium showing pre-season predictions from pundits, including Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, who said the Bees would be involved in a relegation battle after losing Thomas Frank to Tottenham.

The video ended by playing lyrics from Stormzy’s song Shut Up, with those two words displayed in giant letters across the screen.

Under Keith Andrews Brentford have largely done their talking on the pitch. Rather than looking over their shoulders in the relegation battle, they have written their name into the conversation for European qualification – something never done in the club’s history.

The Bees could not capitalise on teams above them dropping points on Saturday, the goalless draw a missed opportunity to go level on points with Chelsea and edge closer to securing not only a spot in Europe, but a push for the Champions League places.

“It’s tight,” Andrews said after the game. “The league is pretty condensed in that part. Seven to go.

“We have done unbelievably well to get where we are in the league. We deserve to be where we are and it’ll take a mammoth effort to stay there.