UFC Ottawa: Derek Brunson Reminds Fans He’s “Fought The Guys With The Resumes”

Derek Brunson had lost four of his last five bouts, prior to UFC Ottawa. But, following his pivotal win on Saturday, the middleweight contender reminded fans that it’s not like those defeats came against cans…

Brunson faced Elias Theodorou at the event, and he proceeded to record a unanimous decision win via scores of 29-28, 29-28, 30-27. The bout saw Brunson work with his wrestling and top game more, as he scored four of the nine takedowns he attempted. While the fight didn’t feature many memorable moments, and boos rang out during several junctures, the win was a pivotal one for Brunson nonetheless.

After the key victory, Brunson had this to say about his performance, as well as the recent setbacks he’s incurred (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“It’s funny, man. I’m a knockout guy, you know?” Brunson said. “In my previous wins, all of my last seven wins, I got knockouts in the first round. To come out here and get a decision after a rough year, it feels good, you know? Now I’ve got it in my mind I can go the distance with a guy who is known for cardio, who moves around a lot, makes you have to chase them, the whole bit. So I can take my time and be patient.”

“…It was a rough year, you know? Nobody is really fighting the guys I’ve been fighting. I fought the guys with the resumes,” Brunson said. “Sometimes if someone calls me out, I’ll fight anyone. I’m going to make the fight for the fans, but you know, just to get in there, just to get the momentum going back and forth, it felt good.”

Now sure, if Brunson had gone out and quickly put away Theodorou, then the MMA world would be discussing his victory much, much more. But, as he noted, it was an important performance for Brunson. The 35-year-old has been reckless in some of his recent outings, and on Saturday, he was composed and he mixed in his wrestling effectively.

Further, in terms of the losses Brunson’s incurred, since 2016 those defeats came against Robert Whittaker, Anderson Silva (many people scored that fight for Brunson), “Jacare” Souza and Israel Adesanya. So, there’s no shame in that.

Now it will be interesting to see who Brunson faces next. With the win Saturday, you would think Brunson will remain in the top 10 rankings, as he’s currently sitting in the #9 spot.