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Derek Brunson is one of the most experienced UFC fighters in the middleweight division. However, he has been very consistent in the past. Derek Brunson has beaten some of the toughest opponents in the middleweight division such as Lyoto Machida, Uriah Hall, and Sam Alvey. However, when it comes to big fights, Brunson has lost many of them.
However, we can not overlook the skillset and experience that Brunson possesses in the middleweight division. And this was reminded to the fans when Brunson took on a rising star of the division, Edmen Shahabzyan.
Going into the fight, Edmen Shahbazyan was widely considered the next big thing in UFC. Many believed that he was on his way to be the UFC middleweight champion and rightfully so. Shahbazyan was destroying all his opponents ever since he made his UFC debut. However, Brunson spoiled the party and secured a huge victory over the rising star of the division, Edmen Shahbazyan.
Brunson looked sharp in the fight. Brunson struggled in the past to mix his wrestling with striking. In the fight against Robert Whittaker, Brunson went for the knockout and started throwing haymakers in the first round. And against Israel Adesanya, he relentlessly tried to secure a takedown. However, he mixed things up against Shahbazyan and picked up an easy victory.
With this win, Derek Brunson is on a three-fight winning streak in one of the most stacked divisions in UFC. And it won't be wrong to say that this might be the last opportunity for the 36-year-old veteran to rally up impressive wins and get a title shot. But who does he take on next after such an impressive victory?
How does Derek Brunson get closer to the middleweight throne?
There are some big matchups for Derek Brunson(ranked #7) in the division. But a lot would depend on the outcome of the fight between Yoel Romero vs Uriah Hall. UFC might book a fight between Darren Till and Yoel Romero because fans are interested to watch that showdown. But the winner of Yoel Romero vs Uriah Hall against Derek Brunson will be a great fight.
While Brunson has a win over Uriah Hall in the middleweight division he lost to Yoel Romero via TKO. And it's needless to say that the fans love rematches between elite fighters.
Besides that, Derek Brunson can call out Jack Hermansson(ranked #4) who is coming off of a massive victory over Kelvin Gastelum. Brunson did not take much damage in his fight against Shahbazyan and if he can make a quick comeback then UFC might book Brunson vs Hermansson next.
Darren Till is out for a meaningful period due to knee injury. And Hermansson had a quick victory over Kelvin Gastelum in his last fight. Besides, Hermansson needs one or two more big wins before he gets a title shot. If both Brunson and Hermansson are ready to make a quick comeback to the octagon then this is the fight to make.
Derek Brunson vs Darren Till is also an exciting matchup looking at the rankings. But if we consider the skillsets of Derek Brunson then Jack Hermansson will be a highly competitive fight.
