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With his main event win over Edmen Shahbazyan, Derek Brunson was heavily praised by the world of Mixed Martial Arts, including a former rival and reigning UFC Middleweight Champion, Israel Adesanya.
In the aftermath of Derek Brunson's third-round TKO win over 'The Golden Boy', Israel Adesanya took to Twitter and praised the winner of tonight's main event. The Middleweight Champ labeled Brunson's win as a "nice" performance and also added that the latter showed his level of experience in this fight.
Here is Israel Adesanya's message for Derek Brunson:
Prior to winning the UFC Middleweight Championship, Israel Adesanya had crossed paths with Derek Brunson in the Octagon back in 2018. The pairing faced off at UFC 230 with Adesanya securing the win over the experienced Brunson via a first-round knockout finish.
Since then, Israel Adesanya has been on the rise in the Middleweight Division and at UFC 243, 'The Last Stylebender' finally won the 185-lb championship by finishing Robert Whittaker in their highly awaited clash.
Despite only being in his early 30s, 'The Last Stylebender' has already shared the Octagon with some of the biggest Middleweight fighters in the game right now, including the likes of Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker, and Kelvin Gastelum, whom Israel Adesanya defeated in order to win the interim UFC Middleweight Championship.
What's next for Israel Adesanya?
Israel Adesanya will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 253, as he is now set for a main event clash against Paulo Costa. 'The Last Stylebender' will be defending his Middleweight Title against 'The Eraser' in the PPV headliner and the former will look to put in an impressive performance, especially after his lackluster fight against Yoel Romero from UFC 248.
Paulo Costa, on the other hand, has been decimating his opponents left, right, and center, and getting past the Brazilian definitely won't be an easy task for Israel Adesanya.
