Paulo Costa vs. Jared Cannonier, Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson headline UFC summer events
Two middleweight main events have been announced for summer UFC cards with Paulo Costa vs. Jared Cannonier and Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the news of both fights. Costa vs. Cannonier will headline the UFC Fight Night card on August 21, while Till vs. Brunson will be the main event of the Fight Night card set for August 14. Check out the announcements.
How about some middleweight fireworks for the summer? 🎇
(via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/q3BQjZQ0QP
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2021
Coming back from a broken collarbone, Darren Till will meet Derek Brunson in the Aug. 14 main event.
(via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/EoHfBOplYu
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 13, 2021
The Costa vs. Cannonier matchup pits Costa, the No. 2 ranked middleweight, against Cannonier, the No. 4 ranked middleweight, while the Brunson vs. Till fight involves the No. 5 and No. 6 ranked fighters, respectively. These are two massive fights when it comes to the UFC middleweight division and the winners of both of these fights will put themselves in prime positions to fight for the belt sometime either later this year or in 2022. Either way, these are big fights.
Costa (13-1) recently lost for the first time in the Octagon when he was knocked out by Israel Adesanya last fall at UFC 253. Prior to that, the Brazilian had won five straight fights in the UFC. He was supposed to fight Robert Whittaker last month but had to pull out due to an illness. Instead, he takes on Cannonier (13-5) who hasn’t fought since last October when he lost a unanimous decision to Robert Whittaker, a loss that snapped a three-fight win streak for the powerful middleweight.
Brunson (22-7) is one of the hottest fighters in the UFC middleweight division right now as he’s won his last four fights, including a dominant victory over Kevin Holland his last time out. As for Till (18-3-1), he hasn’t fought since a decision loss to Whittaker on Fight Island last year, and overall he has dropped three of his last four bouts. But he remains a big star for the promotion, and after breaking his collarbone, he is now hoping to get a doctor’s clearance and fight Brunson this summer.
Who do you think wins between Paulo Costa and Jared Cannonier? And who takes Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson?
