Sunday’s co-main event in Pittsburgh pitted two Top 15 middleweights against each other. No. 13-ranked Derek Brunson (15-3) met No. 15-ranked Roan Carneiro (20-10) to see who would take the next step up the ladder.
It would be Brunson.
Brunson opened the action feinting with leg kicks, but Carneiro didn’t bite. While Brunson would pick his spots to explode forward, he could not land cleanly early in the fight.
Carneiro came forward, had a misstep and ended up on his back. Brunson pounced. The talented wrestler threw punch after punch after punch. Carneiro covered up well to keep the referee from stopping the fight. Unfortunately for Carneiro, he was not able to get separation.
Brunson continued to rain down heavy blows and eventually the fight had to be stopped.
The finish itself wasn’t highly impactful, but the result is for Brunson. He ousted a Top 15-ranked middleweight within the first five minutes. The official time of the stoppage would be two minutes and 38 seconds.
Three of his four consecutive wins have come in the first round. “I’m a straight animal,” he said in the televised post-fight interview. He is.
Carneiro was not able to show what he has to offer, but he is a quality middleweight. It would be a shame to see him hit the very back of the line considering his talents. No. 12-ranked Rafael Natal meets No. 8-ranked Robert Whittaker in April, and the loser of that fight would make for a great opponent.
Brunson deserves a Top 10 opponent next, but who?
Most fighters are booked at this point, and the situation at the top end of the division is in flux. No. 9-ranked Gegard Mousasi and No. 10-ranked Thales Leites meet next weekend in London, and the winner would seem to line up well with Brunson.
That is a fight that would propel the winner into serious contention, and the timing works out well as long as there are no serious injuries.
There are other options for Brunson, but they would require him to be ready as a late replacement for one of the many interesting middleweight contests in the works. That isn’t smart business for where he sits in the division today.
This was the performance Brunson needed. He got another stoppage over a good opponent. The middleweight division is on notice. He is for real and has all the tools to truly contend.
The over-35 crowd may be punched, kicked and tossed aside by Brunson himself as he climbs the ranks.
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