Former Strikeforce star and current UFC middleweight Derek Brunson earned one of his most decisive victories to date by knocking out Team Quest’s Ed “Short Fuse” Herman at UFC 183.
Brunson faked a kick and floored the 34-year-old veteran with a series of lefts. The victory, which was his fastest in the Octagon, improved his record to 4-1.
Brunson, a former NCAA Division II All-American wrestler, talked about fine-tuning his game plan ahead of the Herman fight.
“It was a long camp. I’m a wrestler by trade so just trying to change that mentality, you know going for the takedown real fast. Just really taking my time,” Brunson told reporters after Saturday’s fight.
With a few wins against established names in the sport and a strong performance in defeat against dangerous Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero, Brunson‘s time to enter the Top 15 of his middleweight class is now. Here are a few opponents who could stand across from the 31-year-old in 2015.