Derek Brunson News

Derek Brunson
Edmen Shahbazyan

Derek Brunson says he's "not given enough respect" at middleweight

Tom Taylor - August 3, 2020

Derek Brunson, who stopped Edmen Shahbazyan in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 5 card, feels he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Speaking at the card’s post-fight press conference, Brunson revealed that he saw many fans counting him out ahead of the fight—despite his best efforts to stay off social media.

Edmen Shahbazyan
Derek Brunson

Dana White gives full credit to Derek Brunson but says Edmen Shahbazyan “looked gassed out” by round two

Harry Kettle - August 3, 2020

UFC president Dana White has praised Derek Brunson’s performance on Saturday night, while simultaneously questioning the cardio of Edmen Shahbazyan. Heading into the main event this past weekend, many expected 22-year-old Shahbazyan to run through Brunson and continue his rise up through the middleweight division. Unfortunately for him, things didn’t quite work out that way as the veteran produced one of the best performances of his UFC career to bring the youngster’s unbeaten run to an end.

Derek Brunson
UFC

Derek Brunson calls out Jack Hermansson and Darren TIll

Adam Martin - August 2, 2020

Fresh off of a big win at UFC Vegas 5, top middleweight contender Derek Brunson hopes to fight either Jack Hermansson or Darren Till in his next fight. Brunson picked up one of the most impressive wins of his UFC career to date when he finished top prospect Edmen Shahbazyan with a third-round TKO. Brunson was a +300 betting underdog heading into the fight and few gave him a chance to win, but he was able to beat the odds by using his wrestling to tire his younger opponent out, before beating him with ground and pound until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight in the third round.

Derek Brunson
UFC

Derek Brunson not happy about being passed over for 50k bonus: "Somebody big mad"

Adam D Martin - August 2, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson was not happy about being passed over for a “Performance of the Night” bonus at UFC Vegas 5. In the main event of the evening, Brunson pulled off a stunning upset as he was able to defeat highly-touted prospect Edmen Shahbazyan via third-round TKO. Brunson was a +300 betting underdog heading into the fight and not many gave him a chance to win. Despite the odds being stacked against him, Brunson dominated Shahbazyan with his wrestling and ground-and-pound to pick up one of his most impressive wins yet.

Dana White, Nate Diaz
Derek Brunson

Dana White goes off on inexperienced cageside doctor working Brunson vs. Shahbazyan event

Christopher Taylor - August 1, 2020

UFC President Dana White was not happy with the actions of the cageside doctor working tonight’s UFC Vegas 5: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan event. Middleweight veteran Derek Brunson (21-7 MMA) squared off with budding star Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1 MMA) in the headliner of this evenings UFC event in Las Vegas.

Derek Brunson, Israel Adesanya
Edmen Shahbazyan

Israel Adesanya sends a message to Derek Brunson following imrpessive win over Edmen Shahbazyan

Christopher Taylor - August 1, 2020

UFC middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya was clearly watching tonight’s UFC Vegas 5 main event between Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan. Brunson and Shahbazyan squared off in a rare three-round headliner at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas this evening.

Derek Brunson, Edmen Shahbazyan
Edmen Shahbazyan

Pros react to Derek Brunson stopping Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 5

Chris Taylor - August 1, 2020

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 5 event was headlined by a middleweight bout featuring rising star Edmen Shahbazyan taking on seasoned veteran Derek Brunson. Shahbazyan (11-1 MMA) was looking to keep his perfect record in check when he squared off with the veteran in Brunson this evening. Edmen was most previously seen in action at November’s UFC 244 event where he scored a sensational first round knockout victory over Brad Tavares. That victory marked Shahbazyan’s third stoppage win in a row, as he had previously scored finishes over opponents Charles Byrd and Jack Marshman.

Derek Brunson
Edmen Shahbazyan

UFC Vegas 5 Results: Derek Brunson def. Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO (Video)

Chris Taylor - August 1, 2020

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 5 event is headlined by a middleweight bout featuring rising star Edmen Shahbazyan taking on seasoned veteran Derek Brunson. Shahbazyan (11-0 MMA) will be looking to keep his perfect record in check when he squares off with the veteran in Brunson this evening. Edmen is coming a sensational first round knockout victory over Brad Tavares in his most recent Octagon appearance this past November at UFC 244. That victory marked Shahbazyan’s third stoppage victory in a row, as he had previously scored finishes over opponents Charles Byrd and Jack Marshman.

Derek Brunson, Edmen Shahbazyan
Edmen Shahbazyan

Pro fighters make their picks for Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

Cole Shelton - July 30, 2020

In the main event of UFC Vegas 5, Derek Brunson is looking to extend his winning streak when he takes Edmen Shahbazyan. Heading into the fight, Brunson is a +255 underdog while the undefeated prospect is a -335 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are split on this one with some thinking Brunson is a step up too soon while others believe the hype is real behind Shahbazyan.

Edmen Shahbazyan
Edmen Shahbazyan

Edmen Shahbazyan eyes "dominant performance" over Derek Brunson in main event of UFC Vegas 5

Cole Shelton - July 29, 2020

Edmen Shahbazyan is looking to turn some more heads when he headlines this Saturday’s card against Derek Brunson. Shahbazyan vs. Brunson was originally scheduled to be the co-main event, but after Irene Aldana tested positive for COVID-19,the bout was moved to headliner status.

Derek Brunson
Karl Roberson

Derek Brunson takes a shot at "fat boy" Karl Roberson after bad weight miss

Adam Martin - June 12, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson took a shot at “fat boy” Karl Roberson after the rising contender missed weight by 4.5lbs at UFC Las Vegas. Roberson stepped onto the scale at 190.5lbs for his middleweight bout against Marvin Vettori, which is scheduled to be the co-main event under the headliner between women’s flyweights Jessica Eye and Cynthia Calvillo this weekend. Both Eye and Roberson missed weight, making this a rare card where both the main event and co-main event saw a headliner miss their respective weight limit. In Roberson’s case, it was the biggest weight miss on a card full of them.

Edmen Shahbazyan
Edmen Shahbazyan

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Derek Brunson off of UFC 248, set for UFC Portland co-main event

Cole Shelton - February 20, 2020

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Derek Brunson will no longer be happening at UFC 248 as expected. Shahbazyan announced on social media that he was off the card, but added he’s ready to fight right now.

Derek Brunson
Kelvin Gastelum

Derek Brunson calls out Kelvin Gastelum

Adam D Martin - August 25, 2019

Fresh off of a decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 241, middleweight contender Derek Brunson now has his sights set on a matchup against Kelvin Gastelum. The veteran middleweight took to social media on Saturday night to call out the former Ultimate Fighter winner for a fight at UFC 245 this December in Las Vegas.

Derek Brunson
Derek Brunson

Derek Brunson targets Darren Till for his next UFC fight

Fernando Quiles - August 19, 2019

Derek Brunson is well aware that Darren Till is considering a move up to the middleweight division. Going into UFC 241 this past Saturday night (Aug. 17), Brunson was in search of his second win in a row. To complete the task at hand, he needed to get past Ian Heinisch. While things looked bad for Brunson early on, he dictated the pace in the second and third rounds to secure a unanimous decision win.

Derek Brunson
Ian Heinisch

UFC 241 Results: Derek Brunson defeats Ian Heinisch (Highlights)

Chris Taylor - August 17, 2019

A middleweight bout between Derek Brunson and Ian Heinisch kicked off tonight’s UFC 241 main card from Anaheim. Brunson (19-7 MMA) was most recently seen in action at May’s UFC Fight Night event in Ottawa, where he scored a unanimous decision victory over Elias Theodorou. That improved Derek’s record to 3-2 over his past five Octagon appearances.

Ian Heinisch
Exclusive MMA Interviews

UFC 241 | Ian Heinisch believes he will 'physically and mentally' break Derek Brunson

Cole Shelton - August 15, 2019

Ian Heinisch expects a dominating performance at UFC 241 when he takes on Derek Brunson. The 31-year-old called for this fight and for a good reason. He doesn’t believe Brunson is on his level and plans on exploiting him come Saturday.

Derek Brunson
UFC

Derek Brunson took care not to knock himself out in Elias Theodorou fight

Tom Taylor - May 5, 2019

On Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC Ottawa, Derek Brunson picked up a decision victory over Canada’s Elias Theodorou. Mid-way through this fight, Brunson hoisted his foe into the air and slammed him into the canvas. We’ve seen similar slams in the Octagon before — and once with disastrous consequences.

Derek Brunson, UFC Rankings
Elias Theodorou

UFC Ottawa Results: Derek Brunson defeats Elias Theodorou (Highlights)

Chris Taylor - May 4, 2019

A middleweight bout between Derek Brunson and Elias Theodorou served as the co-headliner of tonight’s UFC Ottawa event. Elias Theodorou enters tonight’s contest on a three fight win streak, his latest being a split-decision victory over Eryk Anders this past December.