Derek Brunson News

Josh Evanoff - October 6, 2023

Derek Brunson has booked his first PFL fight opposite former tournament champion Ray Cooper III. The longtime UFC veteran was released out of the blue last month. At the time, Derek Brunson was scheduled for a November fight with Roman Dolidze but chose to part ways with the company. Suddenly, last night, the longtime middleweight contender signed with the PFL. Furthermore, he’s already got his first opponent in the form of Ray Cooper III.

Josh Evanoff - October 5, 2023

Former UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson is heading to the PFL. The longtime contender hasn’t been seen since a loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 285 in March. That was Derek Brunson’s second loss in a row, previously losing to Jared Cannonier last February. While he was later booked for a rebound fight against Roman Dolidze in November, that bout will no longer be happening.

Susan Cox - September 15, 2023

Derek Brunson is turning his attention to Jake Paul following his UFC release. Brunson (23-9 MMA), parted ways with the UFC following an 11 year run with the promotion. During that tenure, the 39 year old beat the likes of Kevin Holland, Darren Till, and Uriah Hall to name a few. It was Brunson’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, of Dominance MMA, who confirmed the news just yesterday, September 14th.

Cole Shelton - September 14, 2023

Derek Brunson is among three fighters who have been removed from the UFC active roster. According to the UFC Roster Watch Account on X, Derek Brunson, Tecia Torres, and Zarah Fairn have been removed from the roster. It’s uncertain if this means the fighters, retired, fought out their contracts, or were released, but both are no longer on the UFC roster.

Cole Shelton - December 28, 2022

Derek Brunson will look to return to the win column at UFC 285. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Brunson is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 285 on March 4 against Dricus Du Plessis. The event is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Josh Evanoff - December 27, 2022

UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson is planning on being active next year. The 38-year-old has been out of action since his showdown with Jared Cannonier at UFC 271 in February. For his part, the latter was coming off a decision win over Kelvin Gastelum in August 2021. For the middleweight clash in February, there were some high stakes.

Harry Kettle - December 5, 2022

UFC star Kevin Holland has gone after Derek Brunson after his former rival took a shot at him on social media. Last Saturday night at UFC Orlando, Kevin Holland fell to a TKO loss at the hands of Stephen Thompson. Some have already suggested it could be a Fight of the Year contender, whereas others have spent most of their time praising Thompson.

Cole Shelton - November 22, 2022

UFC Orlando has gotten a major change as Derek Brunson vs. Jack Hermansson is no longer happening. Brunson and Hermansson were set to fight in the co-main event of the card which was also set to serve as a pivotal middleweight bout. Yet, on Tuesday, ESPN reported that Brunson suffered an undisclosed injury that forced him to withdraw, but Roman Dolidze has agreed to step up on short notice to face Hermansson at UFC Orlando on December 3.

Josh Evanoff - July 22, 2022

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland wouldn’t mind fighting Derek Brunson, but it has to be soon. ‘Tarzan’ was last in action at UFC 276 earlier this month against Alex Pereira. In the middleweight contest, Strickland was finished in round one. The defeat from the Brazilian ended a stellar six-fight winning streak for the 31-year-old.

Cole Shelton - July 15, 2022

Derek Brunson believes Alex Pereira will defeat Israel Adesanya to become the new UFC middleweight champion. After Pereira knocked out Sean Strickland at UFC 276 and Israel Adesanya defended his belt with a decision win over Jared Cannonier on the same card, it was clear that fight would be next. They fought twice in kickboxing with Pereira winning both, including one by KO.

Susan Cox - June 7, 2022

Derek Brunson, 38, has “no problem with gay people,” but the UFC middleweight does have a problem with children attending a drag show at a gay nightclub over this past weekend. The event, held at Mr. Misster in Dallas, Texas was promoted as “Drag The Kids To Pride”.  The nightclub was encouraging parents to bring their children on Saturday morning for a kick off celebration of Pride Month.

Susan Cox - May 20, 2022

Derek Brunson is sounding off on USADA following a failed check-in for a drug test. Brunson, (23-8 MMA) competes in the middleweight division of the UFC. His last time in the cage was at UFC 271 in February of this year, losing to Jared Cannonier (15-5 MMA) by knockout in round two. Prior to the loss, Brunson had 5 wins in a row to Darren Till, Kevin Holland, Edmen Shahbazyan, Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou respectively.

Harry Kettle - March 31, 2022

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa has called out divisional rival Derek Brunson as he goes in search of a return to the Octagon. In the last few years there are few fighters who have been as happy to play the pantomime villain role as Paulo Costa. The Brazilian, who surged up through the rankings upon entering the UFC, was unsuccessful in his attempt to capture the UFC middleweight title when he was beaten by Israel Adesanya at UFC 253.

Harry Kettle - March 14, 2022

UFC middleweight Darren Till has reflected on his loss to fellow contender Derek Brunson last September. With four defeats in his last five fights, Darren Till knows better than anyone that he needs to turn things around inside the Octagon. “The Gorilla” has been touted as a future champion both at welterweight and middleweight but in recent times, he hasn’t been able to showcase what he’s all about.

Josh Evanoff - March 4, 2022

Derek Brunson is the latest fighter to give support to former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. The former champion was arrested earlier this week for attempted murder, as well as a variety of other charges. Since his arrest, more details have come to light regarding the event and the man he attempted to shoot.

Christopher Taylor - February 12, 2022

Derek Brunson has issued a statement after suffering a nasty knockout loss to Jared Cannonier on the main card of tonight’s UFC 271 event. Brunson (23-8 MMA) had entered the contest sporting a five-fight winning streak, his latest being a submission victory over Darren Till. The 38-year-old’s last loss came against reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in November of 2018.

Chris Taylor - February 12, 2022

Tonight’s UFC 271 event features a key middleweight bout between perennial division contenders Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier. Brunson (23-7 MMA) will enter the contest sporting a five-fight winning streak, his latest being a submission victory over Darren Till. The 38-year-old has not tasted defeat since being TKO’d by reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in November of 2018.

Cole Shelton - February 10, 2022

At UFC 271, a potential number one contender bout at middleweight goes down as Jared Cannonier takes on Derek Brunson. Heading into the fight, Cannonier is a -160 favorite while the American is a +140 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are actually going with the underdog in Brunson to be able to outwrestle Cannonier to get the win.