"That's probably the fight to make" - Derek Brunson predicts what comes next for Israel Adesanya

Derek Brunson (left) and Israel Adesanya(right)[Images Courtesy: @stylebender and @derekbrunson on Instagram]

Derek Brunson sees Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira taking their kickboxing rivalry to mixed martial arts.

Speaking with MMA Island recently at the XMMA 5 event, Brunson discussed his desire to take on Sean Strickland next, the rebuild of 'Blonde Brunson', and much more.

In discussing what he thinks is the next test for reigning middleweight champion Adesanya, Brunson said:

"Well, Izzy fights Alex Pereira. That's probably the fight to make. I think it's a good fight and we'll see how that goes. See how the division shakeup after that."

Watch the interview below

Adesanya and Pereira have a well documented history in a different combat sport, as the two had pair of kickboxing bouts a number of years ago.

In the first fight, Pereira won via unanimous decision at Glory of Heroes 1 in April 2016. The second time out, Pereira again emerged victorious, but this time by way of an emphatic knockout at Glory of Heroes 15 in March 2017.

Brunson, meanwhile, had a five-fight winning streak snapped in his last outing. The loss came to Jared Cannonier at UFC 271 this past February. The result launched 'The Killa Gorilla' towards a shot at 185-pound gold.

Brunson compiled wins over Darren Till, Kevin Holland, Edmen Shahbazyan, Ian Heinisch, and Elias Theodorou during his strong run of form prior to UFC 271.

What is next for Derek Brunson?

Brunson is currently the No.4-ranked UFC middleweight. If the Strickland bout comes to fruition, Brunson would stick to his trend of fighting top-ranked fighters in recent times. 'Tarzan' currenly sits at No.7 on the middleweight ladder.

Some banter has been exchanged on social media between the two 185lbers and it seems like there's a strong mutual desire to make this matchup happen.

Sean Strickland tells “Baby Nuts” Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) he doesn’t want to wait 5-6 months to fight him. He wants it sooner. He also wants a Maserati.
(Per Strickland’s IG) https://t.co/QrCUcMtZ3L

This December will mark 10 years for Brunson as a UFC fighter and he has taken on notable contenders throughout his tenure. Brunson's first ever octagon foray resulted in a unanimous decision win over Chris Leben at UFC 155.

Brunson has tested skills with multiple fighters who went on to become or had already been UFC middleweight world champions, such as Robert Whittaker, Anderson Silva, and Israel Adesanya.

Derek Brunson has collected other notable wins over Lyoto Machida, Uriah Hall, Lorenz Larkin, Sam Alvey, Ed Herman, and Daniel Kelly, to name a few.