The Film Room: Derek Brunson

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UFC 230 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Derek Brunson steps inside the Octagon for the 14th time Saturday when he takes on trailblazing kickboxer Israel Adesanya at UFC 230. Brunson has never been in the Ultimate Fighting Championship title picture, but now sitting at No. 6 in the rankings, a win over such a highly-regarded opponent could propel him into the conversation.

The One

Brunson may not be the most technical fighter in the UFC, but he is without a doubt one of the most exciting. He doesn't seem concerned with defense and would rather stand and trade in the pocket rather than rely on his collegiate wrestling background. No matter what you think about his wild style, it’s brought him this far and there is no reason to turn back now.



Brunson is known for his ridiculously aggressive leading attacks and willingness to take a punch to give one. He will literally run forward at a full sprint while throwing wild hooks with everything he has behind them and forces opponents to either trade or turn their back and run away. Although his technique is flawed, the pace he sets is incredibly hard to deal with and overwhelms most into trading with him.



Since Brunson is so aggressive he finds himself in the clinch against the cage in nearly every fight. This is where he arguably does his best work. He is just as aggressive in the clinch and will even allow opponents to get double collar ties while he throws wild uppercuts and hooks, as he did against Anderson Silva. Brunson doesn't rely on his grappling often, but his wrestling background helps him control opponents in the clinch and keep them against the cage. If he's not getting it done in the clinch, he can always level change and shoot at the hips.



Although Brunson’s style is exciting for the fans and earned him a 9-4 record in the UFC, it’s also his biggest demise. Sprinting forward with your head past your shoulders and crossing your feet is unacceptable at the highest level of any combat sport. This is the reason Brunson has lost multiple fights that he should have won or was winning. We saw in his fight with Silva that he is capable of slowing down and fighting intelligently, but performances like that are far and few between for Brunson and he would rather put on a show for the fans than win a boring decision.



As stated earlier, Brunson doesn't rely on his grappling often, but when he does he can dominate on the ground. He is a three-time Division 2 All-American out of the University of North Carolina and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under fellow middleweight Dave Branch. Since his opponent this weekend is one of the most highly regarded strikers to come into the UFC in quite some time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Brunson rely on his wrestling background more than ever to exploit Adesanya’s biggest weakness.

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