Derek Brunson believes he has what it takes to not only beat but finish Israel Adesanya if they rematch.
Brunson is coming off a submission victory over Darren Till and after the win, he called for a title shot. He’s on a five-fight winning streak and his last loss was a first-round TKO loss to Adesanya at UFC 230. Although the first fight was one-sided, Brunson is confident he has the skillset to make it a different result.
“Small things make a difference in these big fights,” Brunson said to MMAFighting. “Kudos to him, he took advantage of it. But I know in a rematch, I know what I can do.”
Although Robert Whittaker will get the next middleweight title shot, Derek Brunson could be next up after that. However, some believe he should face Jared Cannonier in a number one contender bout, but according to Brunson, he believes he deserves the next title shot.
“I know I’m deserving of a title shot,” Brunson said. “I’ve won five in a row. I haven’t lost in like three years. The last fight was Izzy. Marvin Vettori lost to Izzy, won some fights, got the fight back. Whittaker lost to Adesanya, won two fights, got the fight back. It’s how I’m looking. I’ve won five fights. More than anybody’s won to get back to the opportunity. So I’m looking at this — this is my opportunity, my chance, I’ve earned it so I don’t want to squander anything. I want to wait and see when the fight gets booked and know exactly what’s going on before making any decisions.”
If Brunson does get the rematch against Adesanya he’s confident he will not only win but finish the champ.
“I know given the chance on the ground, I’m looking to do mass damage,” Brunson said. “I’m looking to finish the fight. I’m looking to get him out of there. He’s going to be tested like he’s never been tested before where he fought Jan Blachowicz — Blachowicz was just content with controlling him. I’m going to be looking to finish.”
