Derek Brunson

Derek T. Brunson (born January 4, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). He is most notable for his 21 fight tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) between 2012 and 2023, where he competed in the Middleweight division.

Background Brunson attended John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was a member of the school's cheerleading, football. track, and wrestling teams. He was coached in high school wrestling by coach Dan Willis.

He then attended the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where as a member of the wrestling team, he was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American. Brunson majored in criminal justice and minored in sociology.

Strikeforce Brunson made his Strikeforce debut on June 24, 2011, at Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry against undefeated Jeremy Hamilton. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

In a quick turnaround, Brunson fought his second fight for Strikeforce just over one month after his debut. He faced Lumumba Sayers on the undercard of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson on July 30, 2011. He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Brunson's next fight was on November 18, 2011, at Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers against Nate James. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

He was scheduled to face Ronaldo Souza on March 3, 2012, at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey. However, the Ohio State Athletic Commission denied his fight license based on an eye exam he had submitted. Brunson fought wearing contacts in all of his bouts, but Ohio has a rule against this. He immediately scheduled a Lasik procedure and missed about six weeks. He later faced Souza on August 18, 2012, at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman and was defeated by KO at :41 of the 1st round.

The Ultimate Fighter Brunson was accepted to compete in The Ultimate Fighter 17, but on the first day of filming he was pulled from the competition due to Showtime having yet to release him from his contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Brunson made his UFC debut replacing an injured Karlos Vemola against Chris Leben on December 29, 2012, at UFC 155. Despite being a late replacement and heavy underdog, Brunson utilized his superior wrestling to defeat Leben via unanimous decision.

He was expected to face Ronny Markes on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10. However, the bout was scrapped on the day of the weigh in as Markes was involved in a traffic accident. While Markes was not seriously injured, the incident prevented him from competing.

Brunson was expected to face Yoel Romero on August 31, 2013, at UFC 164 but was eventually forced off the card with an injury.

He was expected to face Antonio Braga Neto on November 6, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 31. However, Neto pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Brian Houston. Brunson won the fight in impressive fashion early, connecting with a head kick on Houston and then securing a rear-naked choke submission.

The bout with Romero was rescheduled for January 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 35. After winning the first two rounds, Brunson was dropped by a left hook and lost the fight via TKO due to elbows on the ground in the third round. Both fighters earned a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus award.

On February 15, 2014, it was announced that Brunson had signed a four-fight contract with UFC.

Brunson was expected to face Lorenz Larkin on August 2, 2014, at UFC 176. After UFC 176 was cancelled, Larkin/Brunson was rescheduled and eventually took place on August 30, 2014, at UFC 177. Brunson won the fight via unanimous decision.

Brunson was expected to face Ed Herman on December 13, 2014, at UFC on Fox 13. However, the bout was scrapped just hours before the fight, as Brunson was stricken with a stomach ailment. Subsequently, the bout with Herman was rescheduled and took place on January 31, 2015, at UFC 183. Brunson won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Brunson was expected to face Krzysztof Jotko on June 20, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 69. However, Brunson pulled out of the fight on June 9 citing a rib injury and was briefly replaced by Uriah Hall. Three days after the booking, Hall was removed due to an alleged visa issue. In turn, Jotko was removed from the card entirely.

Brunson faced Sam Alvey on August 8, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 73. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Brunson next faced Roan Carneiro on February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83. He won the fight via TKO, earning his third consecutive TKO stoppage in the first round.

He was scheduled to face Gegard Mousasi on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200. However, he later was forced to pull out of the bout.

Brunson faced Uriah Hall on September 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 94. Brunson won the fight via TKO in the first round after dropping Hall with a left hook and finishing him with a flurry of ground and pound.

Brunson faced Robert Whittaker on November 27, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 101. He lost the back and forth fight via first-round TKO. Both participants were awarded a Fight of the Night bonus.

Brunson faced Anderson Silva on February 11, 2017, at UFC 208. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. 20 out of 24 media sources scored the fight in favor of Brunson.

Brunson fought Dan Kelly on June 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 110. He won by knockout in the first round after dropping Kelly with a straight left and finishing him off with a barrage of ground and pound.

Brunson faced Lyoto Machida on October 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 119. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win also earned him a Performance of the Night bonus award.

A rematch with Ronaldo Souza took place on January 27, 2018, in the main event at UFC on Fox 27. Brunson lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

He was expected to face Antônio Carlos Júnior on August 4, 2018, at UFC 227. However, Brunson pulled out of the fight in early July citing an eye injury.

Brunson faced Israel Adesanya on November 3, 2018, at UFC 230. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Brunson faced Elias Theodorou on May 4, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 151. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

He faced Ian Heinisch on August 17, 2019, at UFC 241. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

In December 2019, Brunson announced on his social media that he had signed a new, six-fight contract with the UFC.

Brunson was expected to face Edmen Shahbazyan on March 7, 2020, at UFC 248. However it was announced on February 20 that the bout had been rescheduled and would take place on April 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed. The bout eventually was scheduled on August 1, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan. He won the fight via technical knockout in round three.

Brunson faced Kevin Holland on March 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 21. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Brunson faced Darren Till on September 4, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in round three.

Brunson was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. However, for undisclosed reasons the bout was moved to UFC 271 on February 12, 2022. He lost the fight via knockout in round two. Brunson stated that his next fight will be his final fight in mixed martial arts.

Brunson was scheduled to face Jack Hermansson on December 3, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 42. However, Brunson withdrew due to an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Roman Dolidze.

Brunson faced Dricus du Plessis on March 4, 2023, at UFC 285. He lost the fight via technical knockout due to a corner stoppage at 4:59 of the second round.

Brunson was scheduled to face Roman Dolidze at UFC 295 on November 11, 2023. On September 14, 2023, the fight was scrapped, as it was announced Brunson had parted ways with the UFC.

Professional Fighters League After parting ways with the UFC on October 5, 2023, it was announced that Brunson had signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League, and that he would be a participant in their 2024 season as a light heavyweight.

Brunson made his PFL debut against Ray Cooper III on November 24, 2023 at PFL 10. At weigh-ins, Cooper came in at 186.8 pounds.8 pounds over the limit, leading him to being fined a percentage of his purse which went to Brunson and the bout was held at a catchweight. Brunson won the fight by unanimous decision.

Global Fight League Brunson was scheduled to face Omari Akhmedov in the inaugural Global Fight League event on May 24, 2025 at GFL 1. However, all GFL events were cancelled indefinitely.

Professional grappling career Brunson faced Rodolfo Vieira in the main event of ADXC 7 on November 17, 2024. He lost the match by submission.

Personal life Brunson has four children; he has never smoked a cigarette or drunk alcohol in his life.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (Two times) Tied (Nate Marquardt, Chris Leben & Brendan Allen) for third most finishes in UFC Middleweight division history (9) Tied (Anderson Silva & Thales Leites) for fifth most bouts in UFC Middleweight division history (21) Sherdog 2017 Robbery of the Year vs. Anderson Silva MMADNA.nl 2017 Robbery of the Year vs. Anderson Silva

Amateur wrestling National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA Division II All-American out of University of North Carolina at Pembroke (2003, 2005, 2007) North Carolina High School Athletic Association North Carolina 4A 215 lb 3rd place (2002)

Other accomplishments Young Alumnus of the Year 2014 (UNC Pembroke) UNC Pembroke Athletics Hall of Fame, Inducted 2016

Mixed martial arts record Win

Ray Cooper III Decision (unanimous) PFL 10 (2023)

Washington, D.C., United States

Dricus du Plessis TKO (corner stoppage) UFC 285

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Jared Cannonier KO (elbows) UFC 271

Houston, Texas, United States Win

Darren Till Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Kevin Holland Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Edmen Shahbazyan TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Ian Heinisch Decision (unanimous) UFC 241

Anaheim, California, United States Win

Elias Theodorou Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Loss

Israel Adesanya TKO (knees and punches) UFC 230

New York City, New York, United States Loss

Ronaldo Souza KO (head kick and punches) UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Win

Lyoto Machida KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Dan Kelly KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt

Auckland, New Zealand Loss

Anderson Silva Decision (unanimous) UFC 208

Brooklyn, New York, United States Loss

Robert Whittaker TKO (head kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson

Melbourne, Australia Win

Uriah Hall TKO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson

Hidalgo, Texas, United States Win

Roan Carneiro KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Win

Sam Alvey TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Win

Ed Herman TKO (punches) UFC 183

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Lorenz Larkin Decision (unanimous) UFC 177

Sacramento, California, United States Loss

Yoel Romero TKO (punches and elbows) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou

Duluth, Georgia, United States Win

Brian Houston Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC: Fight for the Troops 3

Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States Win

Chris Leben Decision (unanimous) UFC 155

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Ronaldo Souza KO (punches) Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman

San Diego, California, United States Loss

Kendall Grove Decision (split) ShoFight 20

Springfield, Missouri, United States Win

Nate James Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Lumumba Sayers Submission (rear-naked choke) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson

Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States Win

Jeremy Hamilton Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry

Kent, Washington, United States Win

Danny Babcock KO (punch) World Extreme Fighting 45

Jacksonville, Florida, United States Win

Rhomez Brower TKO (submission to punches) XFP: The Holiday Fight Fest

Wilmington, North Carolina, United States Win

Todd Chattelle TKO (punches) ICE: Fright Night 2010

Providence, Rhode Island, United States Win

Edward Jackson KO (punches) Carolina's Summer Fight Series 3

Jacksonville, North Carolina, United States Win

Chris McNally KO (punches) Carolina's Summer Fight Series 2

Wilmington, North Carolina, United States Win

John Bryant Submission (rear-naked choke) Carolina's Summer Fight Series 1

Wilmington, North Carolina, United States NCAA record

Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event

Win 9-9

Loss 8-9

Win 8-8

Win 7-8

Loss 6-8

Loss 6-7

Loss 6-6

Win 6-5

Loss 5-5

Win 5-4

Loss 4-4

Win 4-3

Loss 3-3

Loss 3-2

Win 3-1

Loss 2-1

Win 2-0

Win 1-0