Brunson had asked for and had his release granted after eleven years with the UFc when a two-fight losing streak caused him to decide his title aspirations were done. Days later he signed with the PFL. Meanwhile, PFL champion Cooper III had not competed in the 2023 welterweight season after missing out on the 2022 playoffs while dealing with weight issues. Unfortunately, those issues continued for this event; despite moving up to middleweight, Cooper still missed weight by eight tenths of a pound. He elected not to cut that weight with additional time given, taking the fine instead.

Brunson opened wild, throwing a spinning wheel kick which was mostly blocked before clinching up and pushing Cooper to the fence, where he had many issues in his loss to Carlos Leal. After a minute Ray broke free, though he had issues with the high kicks and knees of Brunson. Being the much shorter fighter, he had trouble getting into the pocket to land his famous power shots. When he finally did so, Brunson simply ducked into a clinch. From there, he was able to get to a rear body-lock. Cooper was able to break free and on the break he hit Brunson with a left hook while Derek held one of Ray’s legs above his shoulder in pursuit of the takedown.

Brunson tried to clinch up while Cooper looked for uppercuts. Ray seemed to have Derek hurt, but Brunson’s veteran savvy showed up as he kept it together and used a foot sweep to get his first takedown. He immediately transitioned into the full mount where he rained down constant hammerfists. Ray Cooper just covered up for the most part, he did not even turn to give up the back for a reprieve. The referee looked closely but did not stop it and Brunson slowed his pace to avoid gassing out after a good ninety seconds of constant punching.

Cooper did not appear defeated by any means when coming out after a rough first round; he stalked forward but Derek Brunson let him get close and simply grabbed a leg which he used to land a single leg. Ray landed on his knees so Brunson took his back and got a hook in instantly. Ray fought the hands enough to stay alive and Brunson could not get his second hook in, but neither could Cooper escape, though he was not using explosive movements. With only a few seconds left Cooper finally rolled to his back, so Derek Brunson hopped on top and rained down punches for the final ten seconds to bank a 20-18 lead, presumably.

Cooper needed a finish, which he had come close to achieving in the first round, if he was to win this fight. He landed a good right hand, after which Brunson tried to change levels. This time, however, it was Ray Cooper III who stood strong and pushed Derek over, landing his first takedown. Brunson tried for a triangle off his back which failed, but he was able to avoid damage and wrestle up to a top position where he closed out the final two minutes with strong ground and pound.

The scorecards were never in doubt when the decision was read; as expected Derek Brunson swept all three scorecards to win comfortably in his PFL debut.

It will be interesting to see where Brunson goes next. As a former UFC contender who fought some big names, he has a name of his own. PFL does not have a true middleweight division to compete for gold in, but Brunson could fight against some Bellator middleweight due to the merger, or a PFL light heavyweight who would rather fight at middleweight.

It also must be wondered if Ray Cooper III will retire soon after a lackluster performance and weight miss despite the move up in weight,

Official Result: Derek Brunson def. Ray Cooper III by Unanimous Decision (30-27- 30-25, 30-25)

The post Derek Brunson Wrestles, Ground and Pounds Ray Cooper III to Comfortable Decision at 2023 PFL Championship appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It feels like that, as a kid going to a new school,” the now-former UFC middleweight contender told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview recently. “I’m excited. It’s a new journey, new adventure. I was with the UFC so long, things started to become repetitive. And now i have a new goal, new venture, new promotion, fresh start, and I’m ready to go out there and get it started.”

What led to Brunson’s rather sudden exit from the UFC and signing with the PFL? The veteran actually had a fight booked when news broke that he was making the jump. Brunson (23-9) touched on that without going too far into the details.

“I was with the promotion [UFC] for a long time, and I fought all the tough fights. So it was like ‘okay what are we doing here, where am I going?’ I was in a position to get title shots a couple times, and I’m not blaming anybody that I didn’t, per se, but I feel like some of my streaks deserved it. I was one two five-fight win streaks.”

With the move to the PFL comes a new weight class for Derek Brunson. The league does not have middleweight, so he’ll be heading up 20 pounds to light heavyweight.

It’s a move Brunson had considered previously, he revealed.

“I was thinking about it. The weight cuts got pretty tough, I go out there and put in tough camps, long camps, I’m in great shape and then I go out there and fade. And it’s like ‘why are we fading?’ It’s just one of those things, moving up to 205 will be better, won’t have to worry about cutting a lot of weight and I can just focus on the fight.”

Derek Brunson will make his debut against a former two-time PFL welterweight champ in Ray Cooper III, in a 185lb contest. It will likely be his last stop at 185lbs for some time; as for Cooper, Brunson is focused more on himself.

“I’m not really worried about what he brings to the table,” stated Brunson. “I feel like what I bring to the table is a lot greater. I just got to go out there and do me, have fun, and get my hand raised.”

One other fight Brunson will have his eye on come November 24 is the light heavyweight finale, given he’ll join the division next year. That’s set to be contested between Josh Silveira and Impa Kasanganay.

“Impa is one of my teammates, we’ve trained together several times, he’s fighting in the final. So yeah I’m always watching, seeing what’s going on, seeing how the division shapes up. There’s a lot, not a lot but there’s a couple steps to get to the finals next year. You gotta win your first two fights and then you gotta win your third fight and you go into the final. Just one fight at a time, get my hand raised and just keep doing it.”

Watch our full interview with new PFL athlete Derek Brunson above.

The post Derek Brunson Feels Like “A Kid Going to a New School” Ahead of PFL Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

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

The post Ray Cooper III Returns, Will Welcome Derek Brunson to PFL on Nov. 24 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brunson (23-9) was released by the UFC rather suddenly after pulling out of a fight with Roman Dolidze in mid-September. That left the 39-year old a free agent, and it hasn’t taken him long to find a new home.

In a new interview with MMA personality The Schmo, Brunson’s manager revealed he had inked a contract with the Professional Fighters League.

PFL officials did not respond to a request for comment from Cageside Press regarding the signing. However Brunson later confirmed the deal on social media, including an image of himself wearing PFL fight shorts.

“Million dollar tournament incoming,” Brunson wrote in the post, adding “I started focusing more on my road work for the first time in my career.”

Brunson will enter the league’s 2024 season coming off back-to-back losses against Jared Cannonier and Dricus Du Plessis. While not the most comfortable spot to be career-wise, he had been on a four-fight win streak prior to those setbacks. Cannonier, meanwhile, is a former title challenger and top contender; Du Plessis appears to be in line for a UFC title shot.

As for the PFL, it does not have a middleweight division currently. As a result, Brunson is expected to compete at 205lbs. This November, Josh Silveira will face ex-UFC talent Impa Kasanganay to determine the 2023 PFL light heavyweight champ.

The post Derek Brunson Signs with PFL, Will Compete in 2024 Season Per Manager, Fighter appeared first on Cageside Press.

Instead, the #8-ranked UFC middleweight is both out of a fight, and out of a job.

Earlier this week, Dolidze revealed that Brunson was out of the bout, calling for a fight with Robert Whittaker (and later Jared Cannonier). “Brunson is out. I heard [Robert Whittaker] you want to fight by end of year! Lets do it! November or December!”

Then, late Thursday night, UFC Roster Watch, an automated system monitoring the UFC athlete database, noted that Brunson had been removed from the pool. The news of Brunson’s release was later confirmed by his manager, in a statement to MMA Fighting.

“Derek Brunson has been under the UFC umbrella for 11 years,” Brunson’s manager wrote. “He had an amazing career there. The last seven years he’s been in the top 10 rankings. The UFC was amazing to him there, helped shape who he is today and I’m very grateful for the opportunity he was given. He has to move on and looking forward to what comes next for him.”

Brunson still remains listed at #8 in the UFC’s official rankings, though that will no doubt change shortly. In the meantime, there’s no indication as to why Brunson was suddenly dropped. The 39-year old is coming off back-to-back losses against Jared Cannonier and Dricus Du Plessis, but had put together a five-fight win streak prior to that.

Dolidze, meanwhile, needs a new dance partner for the New York card.

The post Derek Brunson Released by UFC, Roman Dolidze Calls for Whittaker, Cannonier Fights appeared first on Cageside Press.

Derek Brunson (23-9) will look to get back into the win column at the November event, when he goes up against Georgian Roman Dolidze (12-2), also looking to bounce back from a recent setback.

Dolidze confirmed the booking via his Instagram Story on Monday, following an initial report by Setanta Sports.

Brunson has dropped his last two fights, having been finished by both Jared Cannonier and Dricus Du Plessis. The fights came just over a year apart, and saw Brunson flirt with retirement after having his five-fight win streak derailed.

At 39-years young, Brunson remains ranked #8 in the middleweight division, with Dolidze one spot behind him.

Georgia’s Dolidze, 35, had his own four-fight win streak snapped in his last outing when he dropped a decision against Italy’s Marvin Vettori. Prior to that, Dolidze had put away the likes of Jack Hermansson and Phil Hawes.

UFC 295 is set to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on November on November 11, 2023. Only one other fight has been reported for the Pay-Per-View event beyond Derek Brunson vs. Roman Dolidze, but it’s a big one. The card’s main event will see heavyweight champion Jon Jones make his first attempt at defending his title, when he takes on ex-champ Stipe Miocic.

The post Derek Brunson vs. Roman Dolidze Lined Up for UFC 295 appeared first on Cageside Press.

De Fries vs. Overeem at Colosseum 2?

Phil De Fries got his revenge against Todd Duffee at KSW 79 a week ago, making the eighth consecutive defense of his KSW heavyweight title in the process.

That’s an unheard of number for any major promotion, especially given the level of competition De Fries has faced: three former UFC fighters, several KSW champions, and a number of up-and-comers. At 36, De Fries has now won 11 straight fights, and looks like a completely new athlete in comparison to his UFC run.

So what comes next? De Fries let slip on The MMA Hour this past week that while a UFC return probably isn’t worth it — he’d be taking a pay cut to work his way up the ranks — KSW has been in talks with Alistair Overeem about a fight at Colosseum 2 this summer.

That would be a very cool fight to headline the stadium show. KSW 39, the promotion’s first Colosseum event, took place in the same venue, PGE Narowody, and saw 57,766 fans in attendance — making it the second largest MMA event in history.

Derek Brunson Hints at Retirement Following UFC 285

After his corner threw in the towel at the end of the second round of his war with Dricus Du Plessis, Derek Brunson appears to be signalling retirement.

“Thanks for all who watched my career. Crazy fight tonight. My corner decided to stop it in the after the second rounds,” Brunson wrote on social media. “Congrats to my opponent.”

Brunson lost his second straight bout in the fight, after coming up short against Jared Cannonier last year. At 39, he’s a 10-year veteran of the UFC, and has spent a good deal of that run ranked in the promotion’s middleweight division — but has faltered in steps up in competition.

Good Job, Jonny Boy

Francis Ngannou made his thoughts on the UFC 285 main event clear in the immediate aftermath.

“Good job Jonny Boy,” the former heavyweight champ wrote on social media after the fight. “Sincerely, the heavyweight king.”

Good job Jonny Boy 👍

Sincerely,
The heavyweight king

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) March 5, 2023

Ngannou exited the UFC earlier this year, vacating the heavyweight title in the process. “The Predator” and the UFC were unable to come to terms on a new deal, with Ngannou previously stating the sticking point wasn’t money, but the UFC’s unwillingness to acquiesce to any of his greater concerns, including health care for fighters, and a fighter advocate being present at UFC board meetings.

ONE Championship’s Friday Fights 7 sees slam KO

They’re rarely seen but always cool to witness.

ONE Championship has been running a Friday Fights series from the Lumpinee Stadium in Thailand for seven straight weeks, cards comprised mostly of Muay Thai, but with some mixed martial arts thrown in. ONE Friday Fights 7 got a slam KO, which is always worth a watch. It was heavyweight Lawrence “I’m Him” Phillips coming away with the win, improving to 2-0 as a pro after going 5-0 as an amateur.

SLAM KO 😱 Lawrence Phillips 🇺🇸 obliterates Ben Parker in just 18 SECONDS!#ONEFridayFights7 
🌍 Live TV broadcast in 170+ countries (check local listings)
🌍 Also available on ONE YouTube and ONE Facebook (geo-restrictions may apply)
🌍 Also https://t.co/eBUfsOlZOd… pic.twitter.com/WgSq0yV5tn

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 3, 2023

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Ngannou Reacts to Jones Win, Brunson Hints at Retirement appeared first on Cageside Press.

Du Plessis, a former KSW champion in two weight classes, entered the fight off a win over Darren Till in December. Brunson, for his part, was looking to bounce back from a loss against Jared Cannonier.

Early on in Saturday’s middleweight match-up, Brunson caught a Du Plessis kick — the second of two kicks had the South African going up high — and dumped him on his back. Brunson got on top, with Du Plessis trying and failing to push him off. And when he did scramble up, Brunson pulled guard with a guillotine — only for Du Plessis to slip out!

That left Du Plessis in an advantageous position, on top with half a round remaining. Brunson was very active on bottom, latching on to a leg — and in turn, Du Plessis went for a foot lock of his own. Brunson didn’t have a heel hook secured, but he managed to use that to transition to the back; Du Plessis tried to shake him off over the top, but Brunson slid off the side instead.

Back on the feet, Brunson tagged Du Plessis repeatedly; the South African went back to the canvas with Brunson on his back! Brunson went hunting for a near-naked choke, but didn’t have it under the chin. Du Plessis then fought the wrists, and scrambled back to his feet just prior to the buzzer.

Round two saw Brunson close the distance, throwing heavy and forcing Du Plessis to retreat. The 29-year old, a decade Brunson’s junior, appeared to be winded, but Brunson was starting to slow as well. Du Plessis landed a left, and a kick to the body. Another left landed for Du Plessis. And later, another. Brunson was on wobbly legs. Du Plessis chopped at one with a kick; Brunson then looked to shoot a takedown, but didn’t come close to landing it. For every blow Brunson was landing, Du Plessis landed several. Brunsons leg appear compromised, and the pair wound up in a back-and-forth battle.

Du Plessis would shoot for a takedown after a Brunson left hand landed; he briefly had Brunson down, but they were back up in a flash. More trading, and Du Plessis tagged Brunson repeatedly, a 1-2 doing the damage. Brunson went down, half from exhaustion! Du Plessis got on top, firing a couple hammer fists, and landed one final blow prior to the buzzer. Just as it sounded, Brunson’s corner threw in the towel, and Herb Dean appeared ready to stop the action anyway — and that was the fight!

#UFC285 Official Result: @DricusDuPlessis defeats Derek Brunson by TKO at 4:59 of Round 2.

Order #UFC285 Here ➡️: https://t.co/4zgrusqgfK

— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 5, 2023

Official Result: Dricus Du Plessis def. Derek Brunson by TKO, Round 2, 4:59

The post UFC 285: War With Dricus Du Plessis Ends With Derek Brunson’s Corner Throwing in the Towel appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I just feel that’s what I’m supposed to do. Sometimes I’m kind of mad I didn’t get my title shot yet, but hey I’m still here right,” Brunson told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

Brunson (23-9) has been out of action since a knockout loss to Jared Cannonier in Feb. of last year at UFC 271. The time away hasn’t been too unpleasant for Brunson as he explained.

“I got to spend a lot of time with my kids. So yeah that’s always fun you know better than anything in life. We got that done and now we’re back to fighting,” he said.

Now he steps into the octagon against Du Plessis who isn’t an unfamiliar name to Brunson.

“It’s a guy that surging you know. I thought Jack (Hermansson) would be the next fight. I figured he would have won his fight on short, the guy took it on short notice, but that didn’t happen. So Dricus was the guy that surging, and I’m the guy that’s been here for a while,” said Brunson.

“That was the fight that made the most sense for the UFC.”

Brunson is currently sitting at #5 in the middleweight rankings even with the long layoff. In Dricus he gets an opponent five spots below him, but for the UFC vet it’s all about getting a win and going for a title shot.

“I just need a win. If I’m ultimately going to get that Michael Bisping title shot I just got to go out here and keep winning and holding my spot and be ready,” Brunson said.

Brunson has been around so long that he says Du Plessis doesn’t bring anything new that he hasn’t seen in the octagon before.

“He don’t really do anything that I haven’t seen before,” Brunson said.

“He’s a tough guy, lot of forward action, comes to fight.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Derek Brunson above. Brunson takes on Dricus Du Plessis on the main card of UFC 285 this Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

The post UFC 285: Derek Brunson Looking For His ‘Michael Bisping’ Title Shot appeared first on Cageside Press.

Fresh off a high-profile win over Darren Till earlier this month, Du Plessis (18-2) has been booked opposite Derek Brunson (23-8) at UFC 285. News of the match-up was reported Wednesday by ESPN.

While Brunson had been mulling retirement in recent months, the longtime 185’lber recently changed his tune, suggesting he wanted to fight four times in 2023. First up is Du Plessis, in a fight that sees Brunson looking to bounce back from a loss to Jared Cannonier last February.

Prior to that, Brunson had strung together a five-fight win streak, including victories over Edmen Shahbazyan, Darren Till, and Kevin Holland.

Du Plessis, a former KSW champ, remains undefeated inside the octagon through four fights. Prior to submitting England’s Till, “Stillknocks” picked up wins over Trevin Giles, Brad Tavares, and Markus Perez.

UFC 285 is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4, 2023. While no main event has been announced, thus far, the following fights have been reported for the card:

• Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
• Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Farid Basharat
• Amanda Ribas vs. Viviane Araújo
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Julio Arce
• Julian Marquez vs. Marc-André Barriault
• Derek Brunson vs. Dricus du Plessis

The post Dricus Du Plessis vs. Derek Brunson Set for UFC 285: Report appeared first on Cageside Press.