Derek Brunson is on the come up in the ranks of the middleweight division.
Since coming over from the now-defunct Strikeforce organization in 2012, the Wilmington, North Carolina, native has been making every fight count on the sport’s biggest stage. Brunson has found victory in all but one of his five showings and steadily moved himself up the hierarchy of the UFC’s 185-pound division in the process.
Even in the lone setback he has suffered inside the Octagon, the Jackson-Winkeljohn-trained fighter gained respect by giving former Olympic silver-medalist wrestler turned middleweight contender Yoel Romero all he could handle under the bright lights.
Yet, where the Cuban powerhouse eventually turned the tides of the bout in the final round to steal the win, Brunson would bounce back with force in his next two showings as he picked up back-to-back victories inside the Octagon.
The most recent of which came at the expense of seasoned veteran Ed Herman at UFC 183 back in January, as Brunson put away “Short Fuse” just 36 seconds into the fight. Furthermore, his lightning-quick finish against The Ultimate Fighter veteran was the second time Brunson had drubbed an opponent inside of the one-minute mark under the UFC banner.
“It was definitely gratifying,” Brunson told Bleacher Report. “I came into the fight expecting it to be a war, and when you get a victory like that you are definitely going to be thrilled.
“Fights like the Herman fight are nice, but at the same time, I would like to have liked it to play out a little bit more. I’m not going to say I would’ve liked to go out there and get more of a feel, but it would have been nice to see more of what he had to offer. The quick knockouts are nice, but going through a war now and again is a good experience to know I’ve done it.
“My fight against Yoel Romero was a war,” he added. “My fight against Chris Leben was a war, and I was fulfilled with that victory because that guy has a ton of experience fighting in the UFC. He had fought for the UFC a bunch of times and it was great to go against a veteran like that who has seen everything. He’s fought Anderson [Silva] and a bunch of good guys. Getting that experience and getting a feel for how things are out there is big.”
While post-fight performance bonuses managed to elude him on both of his quick finishes inside the Octagon, Brunson hasn’t let the lack of recognition hinder his stride. Winning fights at the highest level of competition is one thing, and while he’s been doing it in impressive fashion, Brunson believes the best is yet to come.
That said, he’s also not above the mindset that a little extra cash for a job well done would have been nice.
“That is so crazy,” Brunson laughed. “I thought for sure I was going to get one after that fight. Well, I don’t want to say for sure because I was in that situation before when I fought on the Fight for the Troops card. I went out there and got a head-kick to rear-naked choke finish and that is in 40-some seconds. I didn’t get the bonus, but I was backstage with my fingers crossed all night. That’s kind of how it was this time.”
With a collection of solid wins under his belt, Brunson is steadily drawing closer to the toughest level of competition in the middleweight division. And where the 185-pound fold was once considered to be one of the weaker collectives thanks in large part to Anderson Silva’s dominant reign as champion, the current state of the division is at the opposite end of the competitive spectrum.
In the aftermath of Chris Weidman dethroning “The Spider” at UFC 162 in July of 2013, the middleweight ranks came alive with fighters making their respective runs toward the top. While Brunson understands he still has a few steps to travel before he breaks into the elite tier of the weight class, he also believes making the right kind of progress with each and every fight.
“I definitely think I’m top 15 at this point,” Brunson said. “I look at it as fighting, and I love competition, but I have a family and this is my career. I want to take the proper steps to get where I need to get to. I’m in no rush to advance too fast.
“I’ve only been fighting for a little more than four years, and I’ve done it the right way. There are a lot of guys getting popped for steroids and other PEDS, and I can honestly say I’ve never taken a PED in my life. I’ve never even thought about it. My motto has always been hard work. I came into this sport and I got a lot of attention early. I came in as a wrestler and I caught a lot of flack because sometimes I’d go to what I knew and that was to take people down.
“It’s about going with the flow and getting better through time,” he added. “If anyone took a look at my record they’d see I have 13 wins, and eight of those have come in less than a minute and they have been either by submission or knockout. I don’t go out there to fight to a decision. I go in there to get the job done.”
Although Brunson has yet to officially crack the top 15 in the UFC’s current ranking system, there is no denying he’s a fighter who is making his way up the divisional ladder. The surging middleweight has shown marked improvement every time he’s stepped inside the Octagon and has continued to build momentum at every progressive turn.
With the UFC’s current schedule in full swing, the next opportunity for him to compete will be approaching in short fashion, and Brunson is confident he’ll be ready for whatever comes his way.
“I’m not really a guy who thinks about what is next,” Brunson said. “I don’t make too much of it. I’ve always given my all with anything I’ve done in life. I’m not one of these fortunate kids that came from a rich family. I went to college by chance. I found out what a GPA was two months before I went to college.
“I just grind and work hard and things are more gratifying when you have that attitude. When you grind and work hard for everything you appreciate what comes out of that. You can go with the flow and know that you gave it your all so that once you get out there the rest is what happens. Anything I’ve done in life I can honestly say I’ve given my best. I’ve put a lot of time into every part of my game. In due time it’s all going to show under the bright lights. In my crazy mind I’m thinking the future is really great.”
While Brunson is still waiting to showcase the best of what he has to offer inside the Octagon, thanks to his Instagram game, the affable middleweight has already gained notoriety on social media platforms. Ever the diligent worker inside the gym, Brunson likes to show his followers and friends what life looks like through his eyes if those eyes were looking back at himself.
Brunson is the self-proclaimed “Selfie Master” and believes he dominates his teammates in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in that particular realm. Even among a collection of champions, contenders and pound-for-pound greats, Brunson feels he is the uncrowned king of the self-taken picture with no potential threats to his title in sight.
“I definitely think they need to step their games up,” Brunson laughed. “I’ve been slacking a lot lately, but I definitely think I have the best selfie game out there. When I’m at camp my coaches and Jon [Jones] give me crap because I take a lot of selfies, but then I go look at their Instagrams and Jon is taking like three or four selfies a day. How can anyone say anything to me when he’s doing it more? Jon does these like calculated selfies though.
“He’ll go and be like, ‘I’m picking my daughters up from school,’ and be smiling at the camera. Things like that. I’m definitely the ‘Selfie Master,’ and these guys are just trying to catch up.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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