Derek Brunson has his PFL debut opponent set, and it will be former two-time champ Ray Cooper III.
Brunson’s signing with the league was announced just yesterday, and it is believed he’ll be entering the season format in 2024. However, Brunson (23-9) will face Cooper (25-8-1) at this year’s PFL Championship in Washington, D.C. on November 24, 2023 in a middleweight bout.
League officials announced the news in a press release distributed on Friday. The fight will be part of the night’s preliminary card on ESPN+.
Hawaii’s Cooper won the 2019 and 2021 PFL welterweight championship (the 2020 season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic), making him a back-to-back champ. In 2022, his season ended early, having gone 1-1 and missed weight for his first bout of the year.
He has not fought since. Cooper holds notable wins over Jake Shields, Rory MacDonald, and Magomed Magomedkerimov, and will be making his middleweight debut this November.
Brunson recently exited the UFC, where he was a longtime staple of the middleweight division. The 39-year old is coming off back-to-back losses against fellow contenders Dricus Du Plessis and Jared Cannonier.
The 2023 PFL Championship card is set for The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. The following fights have been announced for the card as of now:
Main Card
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Clay Collard — for the PFL Lightweight Championship
Denis Goltsov vs. Renan Ferreira — for the PFL Heavyweight Championship
Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina — for the PFL Women’s Featherweight Championship
Kayla Harrison vs. Julia Budd
Sadibou Sy vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov — for the PFL Welterweight Championship
Gabriel Braga vs. Jesus Pinedo — for the PFL Featherweight Championship
Joshua Silveira vs. Impa Kasanganay — for the PFL Light Heavyweight Championship
Preliminary Card
Ray Cooper III vs. Derek Brunson
Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Joel Lopez — Amateur bout
Bubba Jenkins vs. Chris Wade
Khai Wu vs. Phil Caracappa
Jesse Stirn vs. Josh Blyden
