'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Derek Brunson soared to the No.4 spot in the middleweight rankings after his stellar TKO win over Darren Till last weekend.
After the impressive performance, Brunson called out champion Israel Adesanya for a rematch. The North Carolina native is eager to win the title and avenge his loss to 'The Last Stylebender'.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, the 37-year-old veteran urged Adesanya to accept the rematch offer. He said the fight makes sense for the Nigerian-New Zealander because the champ considers Brunson to be an "easy fight."
"If I'm easy money, if I'm an easy fight, if I'm 'Bumson', take the fight. Make the easy money, right? Doesn't that make sense?" Derek Brunson said.
Derek Brunson's statements seem to be in response to Israel Adesanya's social media trolling. The middleweight champion poked fun at Brunson by calling him a "bum" in response to the contender's post-fight callout at UFC Vegas 36.
It's yet to be seen whether or not Derek Brunson will jump into prime position behind Robert Whittaker in the queue owing to his momentous win.
But the veteran has certainly made a strong case for a title shot by lining up five straight wins. He believes his form warrants a rematch with Adesanya. Brunson also suggested that it could make for one of the biggest title fights in UFC middleweight history.
" I think we get it done, I think the action is gonna be there. I'm gonna be up for that fight. You know, I'll put in a great training camp, the buildup will be great, so yeah, I think it has a lot of potential," said Derek Brunson in an interview with MMA Junkie.
Catch Derek Brunson's interview with MMA Junkie below:
What happened when Derek Brunson and Israel Adesanya fought for the first time?
Derek Brunson and Israel Adesanya met at UFC 230 in 2018. Brunson was coming off the back of a loss to Jacare Souza. He was looking to regain momentum by defeating the up-and-coming Nigerian-born prospect.
Being a decorated collegiate wrestler, Brunson was expected to have a vast advantage against Adesanya, who was still a surging middleweight back then.
However, Israel Adesanya stuffed most of Brunson's takedown attempts. 'The Last Stylebender' pieced up the North Carolina native on the feet before landing a right hand that sent the veteran crashing to the canvas.
Watch the full fight below:
