"He seems to have put his hand up the highest" - Israel Adesanya's coach reveals why Derek Brunson and not Robert Whittaker is next for him
Derek Brunson and Israel Adesanya have recently shared numerous heated exchanges, setting the stage for a rematch. Although Robert Whittaker was initially touted to fight Israel Adesanya next, the Kiwi's coach, Eugene Bareman, revealed that Derek Brunson might get the nod ahead of the Aussie.
While in conversation with Kacper Rosolowski and Denis Shkuratov, Eugene Bareman revealed that he listed Brunson higher than Whittaker. When asked about Adesanya's next opponent, here's what Bareman had to say:
"Brunson. It might be Rob, but I don't know. Brunson's at five wins since he's fought Israel and Robert's at three. Brunson also had (Darren) Till, (Kevin) Holland, (Edmen) Shahbazyan and a couple more. Yeah, so Till they have in common. You've got Shahbazyan, another up-and-comer and Holland. Those three names are just as big as the ones that Robert's beat, plus (Elias) Theodorou and (Ian) Heinisch. I'm like, 'He seems to have put his hand up the highest, and looks like he's going to be next.'"
Eugene Bareman ready to overlook Robert Whittaker's win over Derek Brunson
Bareman subsequently acknowledged that Whittaker has a win over Brunson. However, he asserted that it was way back in 2016, and both fighters had grown by leaps and bounds in the years since:
"There's going to be people that argue that Robert beat Brunson. Yeah he did. And it was in 2016. Because that was so long ago, it kind of makes that null and void," said Eugene Bareman.
Derek Brunson has expressed a deep desire to butt heads with Israel Adesanya. So much so that he is willing to wait on the sidelines until 'The Last Stylebender' wraps up his inevitable rematch against Robert Whittaker.
Like Eugene Bareman said, it is almost impossible to rule Derek Brunson out as a legitimate contender. Considering the record that he's put together since his loss to Israel Adesanya, Derek Brunson could challenge the UFC middleweight kingpin soon.