"Blonde Brunson should have been there" - Derek Brunson nearly came to tears watching Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier

Israel Adesanya (left), Jared Cannonier (center) & Derek Brunson (right) [Image Credits- @ufc on YouTube]

Derek Brunson has offered his take on the recently concluded title contest between Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannonier that took place at UFC 276. The 38-year-old recalled watching the action unfold with misty eyes.

Brunson's heartache can be traced back to the title eliminator between him and Cannonier at UFC 271, where 'The Killa Gorilla' went on to win the fight with a second-round TKO.

Jared Cannonier has put an end to Blonde Brunson’s run! 🦍

@killagorillamma defeats Derek Brunson in the second round! 👏

#UFC271 https://t.co/InyiLTJIyK

While in conversation with The Schmo in a popular segment titled The Schmo With The Pro, Brunson offered fans some insight into his mental state while watching the UFC 276 action unravel.

The Wilmington native revealed that he was flooded with messages from fans, claiming that they would much rather have seen him compete against Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight strap.

Here's what Derek Brunson had to say about the same:

"It was a little upsetting to watch, you know. I feel like I should have been fighting in the fight, you know. The fans, all fight-week long, were saying, 'Hey man, I'm so bummed that you wasn't there. Like, you were winning the fight, we would much rather you be here.' And that's no knock on [Jared Cannonier]. He earned it. But I'm just saying Blonde Brunson should have been there and I wasn't. So yeah, just sitting there, watching, you know, I almost came to tears."

Derek Brunson reveals how he would have approached a fight against Israel Adesanya

In the same interaction with The Schmo, Derek Brunson shone a light on the gameplan he would have employed in a bid to outperform Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 had he won the title eliminator against Jared Cannonier.

The American southpaw asserted that he controlled the fight against Cannonier at UFC 271 on the feet and on the mat. However, he noted that in this regard, Adesanya's performance at UFC 276 was not up to the mark.

He admitted that he could have outworked 'The Last Stylebender' if he was in peak cardiovascular condition. Here's what Brunson had to say when asked about his approach to the fight against Israel Adesanya:

"If I was in that fight, you know, it would have been a lot of, you know, I would have forced him to grapple, you know. My stand-up would have been on point. Only thing we had to do was get the cardiovascular up, you know, and just not doing that is just so upsetting."

Check out Derek Brunson's full interaction with The Schmo right below: