Is Derek Brunson a Gatekeeper of the Middleweight Division?
Derek Brunson fought the next big thing of the middleweight division, Edmen Shahbazyan. It was a battle between the rising star of the division and a battle-tested veteran.
Edmen Shahbazyan was unbeaten coming into the fight with Brunson. Many believed that he was on his way to become the youngest UFC champion ever and rightfully so. Before the fight, with Brunson, Shahbazyan had finished all his opponents in the first round except Darren Stewart. However, it has to be admitted that the majority of the fans overlooked the skillsets and experience Derek Brunson brings to the table.
Derek Brunson reminded all of us how good he is when he derailed the hype train named Edmen Shahbazyan. Despite the loss, Shahbazyan is still extremely talented. And he does have a great future in UFC if he fixes the holes in his game. But that fight was more about Brunson giving one of his best performances to this date. And it has forced us to evaluate the notion that Brunson is a gatekeeper of the middleweight division.
Derek Brunson has only lost to the elite fighters in the world
UFC middleweight division is arguably the most talent stacked. Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero, and the list goes on. By no means, it's an easy task to break into the top 10 in the middleweight division. However, the road gets even tougher once you break into the top 10. And Derek Brunson has been in the rankings for a very long time.
Brunson has defeated some of the toughest middleweights such as Lyoto Machida, Uriah Hall, and Sam Alvey. He even derailed another hype train named Ian Heinisch in his last fight. However, Brunson has lost to the top middleweights of the world such as Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Jacare Souza, and Anderson Silva. The inconsistency of Brunson in the big fights has led the fans to believe that he is nothing but a gatekeeper in the division.
Derek Brunson is extremely talented and his resume is impressive. However, it's hard to imagine Brunson beating anyone in the top 5 of the middleweight division. Darren Till, who is ranked number 6 in the rankings, will likely beat Derek Brunson too. And it's not a dig at Brunson's skill level. The fighters above him are just more skilled.
Whoever gets past Derek Brunson in the middleweight division goes on to do some incredible things in UFC. Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker went on to become the middleweight champion. Yoel Romero had three title fights after the Brunson fight. Derek Brunson has only lost to the top middleweights in the history of UFC. So it's undeniable that Brunson is a tough challenge for anyone who is on the rise in the middleweight division. However, it's very unlikely that Brunson is going to be the middleweight champion in the next few years.
So if the term "Gatekeeper" means the toughest challenge for the fighters who are trying to break into the top 5 of the division then Brunson is a gatekeeper at middleweight. He might be the best gatekeeper in UFC considering the opponents he has fought through the years.