Fighting Murphy next is a no-brainer - Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski (left) is set to make the first defence of his second title reign against Lerone Murphy

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski says it would be a "no-brainer" to stage his next title defence being against Britain's Lerone Murphy.

Manchester's Murphy thrust himself into contention for a championship bout by knocking out Aaron Pico with a sensational spinning back elbow at UFC 319 on Saturday.

Murphy, who is sixth in the UFC's featherweight rankings and took the fight at three weeks' notice, extended the winning start to his career to 17.

It was the 34-year-old's ninth straight victory in the UFC since debuting in the promotion in 2019.

"You couldn't have scripted it any better. You get a guy who goes in and does a massive knockout like that on a big card, on a nine-fight win streak - I think it's a bit of a no-brainer," Volkanovski said on YouTube.

"December is looking good, let's make it happen. Lerone Murphy, congratulations, see you soon."

Murphy replaced Russian Movsar Evloev for the bout against American Pico after he withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons.

Australian Volkanovski said Evloev, who is also undefeated in 19 fights, would have been the number one contender had be beaten Pico, but Murphy has now leapfrogged him.

Volkanovski, 36, is a two-time featherweight champion and regarded as one of the best of all time in that weight class.

He made five title defences before defeat by Ilia Topuria last year, but regained the belt by defeating Diego Lopes in April.

Despite his undefeated record, Murphy's reserved personality in comparison to some of his brash peers means he has sometimes failed to get due credit for his work in the octagon.

A lack of highlight reel moments, with Murphy earning five straight decision wins before facing Pico, also affected his star power but opinion has started to shift following his spinning elbow knockout.