Matchmaker Monday following UFC Vegas 36
UFC Vegas 36 was a big day for European fighters as there were several European fighters on the card, however it was the American who got the win in the main event.
Derek Brunson continued to stay hot when he stopped fan favorite Darren Till in the third round of their main event middleweight bout. The win puts Brunson on a five-fight winning streak. Meanwhile, Till is now just 1-4 in his last five outings.
Following the win, Brunson called for a title fight against his former foe Israel Adesanya. Will he get it? Let’s breakdown the next move Brunson and Till on this edition of Matchmaker Monday.
Derek Brunson
Result: defeated Darren Till by third-round submission at UFC Vegas 36
Next: Winner of Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori
Brunson is red hot and he might be on the best run of his career. Does that get him a title fight? No. At least not right now.
Adesanya’s next fight is Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannioner should be next in line after that.
Also, Brunson needs a quality win to secure a title fight and that’s what he’s lacking on this impressive run as he hasn’t beaten a fighter ranked in the top five of the middleweight division.
Here’s the good news for him. He’s absolutely earned a major fight and he will get it next as he should fight the winner of the upcoming Costa and Vettori fight. If Brunson wins that matchup he will indeed earn the title fight he’s asking for.
Darren Till
Result: lost to Derek Brunson by third-round submission at UFC Vegas 36
Next: Kevin Holland
Till needs a win badly.
While he is a poplar figure in the MMA world and sells out arena’s, he’s also in a tough spot in his career as he’s just 1-4 in his last five fights and his last two wins are very controversial.
For his next fight he needs to fight someone ranked below him, but a he needs a quality opponent that is going to help draw fans. That’s where Holland comes in.
Holland is ranked No. 14 in the middleweight rankings, he’s a hit with the fan and he has a great personality. This is a fun matchup that sells.
Only one problem here. Holland fights a lot and on short notice. He’s desire to always be in the octagon can change everything.