Brunson was a 3-time Division II All-American wrestler from the
University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
[5] When he finished college he immediately turned his attention to mixed martial arts. He trains at
Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and
Jackson's MMA along with
Jon Jones.
[4]
MMA careerEdit
Brunson made his professional MMA debut in May 2010 against John Bryant where he won by a rear naked choke in under a minute. He then won his next 5 fights with none of them having made it past 2:30 of the first round.
[6]
StrikeforceEdit
Brunson made his
Strikeforce debut on June 24, 2011 at Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry against undefeated Jeremy Hamilton.
[7]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.
[8] 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.
Brunson 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. Derek fought wearing contacts in all of his bouts but Ohio has a rule against this. Derek immediately scheduled a Lasik procedure and is expected to miss about 6 weeks.
[9] Brunson 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 FighterEdit
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.[10] Despite being a late replacement and heavy underdog, Brunson utilized his superior wrestling to defeat Leben via unanimous decision.
Brunson was expected to face Ronny Markeson June 8, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 10.[11]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.[12]
Brunson was expected to face Yoel Romeroon August 31, 2013 at UFC 164[13] but was eventually forced off the card with an injury.[14]
Brunson was expected to face Antonio Braga Neto on November 6, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 31.[15] However, Neto pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Brian Houston.[16] 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.[17]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 $50,000Fight of the Night bonus award.[18]
On February 15, 2014 it was announced that Brunson has signed a four-fight contract with UFC.[19]
Brunson was expected to face Lorenz Larkinon August 2, 2014 at UFC 176.[20] After UFC 176 was cancelled, Larkin/Brunson was rescheduled and eventually took place on August 30, 2014 at UFC 177.[21] Brunson won the fight via unanimous decision.
Brunson was expected to face Ed Herman on December 13, 2014 at UFC on Fox 13.[22]However, the bout was scrapped just hours before the fight, as Brunson was stricken with a stomach ailment.[23] Subsequently, the bout with Herman was rescheduled and took place on January 31, 2015 at UFC 183.[24] 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.[25] However, Brunson pulled out of the fight on June 9 citing a rib injury and was briefly replaced by Uriah Hall.[26] Three days after the booking, Hall was removed due to an alleged visa issue. In turn, Jotko was removed from the card entirely.[27]
Brunson faced Sam Alvey on August 8, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 73.[28] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[29]
Brunson faced Roan Carneiro on February 21, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 83.[30] He won the fight via TKO, earning his third consecutive TKO stoppage in the first round.[31]