Derek Brunson Believes Win Over Top Contender Will Earn Him Title Shot

Derek Brunson is scheduled for one of the biggest fights of his career. Make no mistake about; he is looking to get some revenge when he steps into the Octagon to take on Ronaldo Souza at UFC on FOX 27.

If you recall, “Jacare” defeated Brunson in 2012 by knocking him out in the very first round under the Strikeforce banner.

However, a lot has changed since then, and Brunson mentioned during a recent interview that he is no longer just a wrestler with no striking.

He’s currently ranked No. 8 in the official UFC rankings and fresh off two first-round knockouts wins over Dan Kelly and Lyoto Machida.

“When I fought him before, I was fresh out of college, right when I first started fighting. So I came in as a straight wrestler, and it takes a long time to develop your boxing skills, your muay thai skills, to not over-extend yourself when you punch, but actually being able to throw a punch and not leave yourself in danger is a key point,” said Brunson in an interview with Culture.

“I’m a different fighter in that aspect. I’ve been able to knock guys out clean here recently because I’ve been able to find that mix, to find that happy medium.”

UFC Charlotte (UFC on FOX 27) is set to take place on January 27, 2018, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event will mark the promotion’s third visit to Charlotte, and first since UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi in March of 2010.

The main card will air on FOX while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.

Now with Georges St-Pierre vacating the title and former champion Michael Bisping gearing up for retirement, the stacked division has lost a contender.

“Now that George St-Pierre has vacated the middleweight title, in February they’re having [interim champ] Luke Rockhold fight Robert Whittaker, the guy who was the former champ before GSP vacated,” said Derek, who will be fighting in his home state for the first time in a long time.

“They’re fighting down in Australia. So this is definitely a good fight for me to let the UFC know that I deserve that next title shot after that,” he concluded.