UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson plans to be active next year.
The 38-year-old has been out of action since his confrontation with Jared Gunner at UFC 271 in February. For his part, the latter was coming off a decisive victory over Kelvin Gastelum in August 2021. For the middleweight clash in February, there were high stakes.
Prior to the fight, the promotion revealed that the winner would face the then-middleweight champion. Israel Adesanya following. Brunson was previously knocked out by “The Last Stylebender” in 2018 at UFC 230 and was hoping for a rematch.
At UFC 271, the MMA Lab product picked up a second-round knockout victory. Along with that, Cannonier ended Brunson’s five-game winning streak. The wrestler had previously beaten names such as Darren Till, Kevin Holland and Edmen Shahbazyan.
Following the loss, Brunson was expected to face Jack Hermansson at UFC Orlando earlier this month. Unfortunately, he was forced to withdraw due to an unspecified injury and was replaced by Roman Dolidze. The Georgian fighter ended up finishing ‘The Joker’ on short notice.
Since retiring from his fight earlier this month, Derek Brunson has remained silent about a comeback. However, we do know that when he does return to the cage, it will be the first of four times he will compete in 2023. TwitterBrunson revealed his plans for his busy schedule next year.
4 fights in 2023 LFG. Where to start ! 😤👱🏾♂️
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 27, 2022
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) December 27, 2022
“4 fights in 2023 LFG. Where to start!” Brunson wrote on Twitter. “4-0”
Ahead of the loss to Jared Cannonier, Derek Brunson revealed his plans for withdraw after defeating “The Killa Gorilla” and Israel Adesanya. It seems his loss changed plans earlier this year, and he’s now planning a busy 2023 to get back on track.
What do you think of this news? Are you excited for the middleweight comeback? Who do you want to see him fight next? Sound off in the comments section below PENN Nation!