Outside Source
Make Derek Brunson the underdog at your own risk.
Disrespect was in the air in August 2020 when Brunson and the then-undefeated Edmen Shahbazyan collided in the main event of UFC Vegas 5. A protege of famed Ronda Rousey trainer Edmond Tarverdyan, Shahbazyan was 5-0 under Zuffa properties and being touted as a potential future title challenger in the UFC middleweight division. His vicious first-round head kick KO of Brad Tavares in his previous fight only further validated those calls.
But Brunson wasn’t impressed. The then 36-year-old had been locked inside the cage with many of the best fighters of his era — Anderson Silva, Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, and Ronaldo Souza — and wasn’t ready to be used as a stepping stone on another up-and-comer’s road to glory.
And so Brunson taught the young prospect a lesson, dominating Shahbazyan as a heavy underdog en route to a TKO stoppage just 26 seconds into the third round.
Watch replay of Brunson’s win above ahead of his main event this Saturday against Darren Till.
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
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