"They'll have to give me the fight that I want" - Derek Brunson thinks beating Kevin Holland will open doors
Derek Brunson thinks beating Kevin Holland will open doors for him in UFC. Currently sitting at the No. 7 spot in the UFC Middleweight rankings, Brunson is scheduled to fight the No. 10-ranked Holland at UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland (March 20th, 2021).
Derek Brunson spoke to the media (*Video and quotes courtesy: TheMacLife) before his all-important clash this weekend.
The Human Blanket was asked whether a win over Holland would ensure that the Middleweights ranked in the top five won’t be able to turn down a fight against him anymore. The veteran responded by stating that they would have to give him the fight he wants which will further help him gain a title shot.
“Oh, yeah, absolutely. It’s no other alternative at this point, you know. They’ll have to give me the fight that I want that’s going to catapult me to that title shot,” said Derek Brunson. (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Furthermore, Derek Brunson cited the example of Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez UFC Heavyweight title trilogy. JDS won the first fight via first-round KO, whereas Velasquez won the rematch and the trilogy matchup via unanimous decision and a fifth-round TKO respectively.
The Middleweight veteran insinuated that despite suffering a one-sided stoppage loss in the first fight, Velasquez went on to dominate dos Santos in the other fights of their trilogy.
Brunson alluded to his own knockout losses against some of the current top middleweights, including Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. He indicated that the rematches with them could play out differently.
Derek Brunson stopped a rising prospect in 2020 and looks to replicate the same this year
Back in August 2020, Derek Brunson faced the then-undefeated prospect Edmen Shahbazyan in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan.
Many in the MMA community expected the 23-year-old to defeat Brunson and continue his undefeated streak. Nevertheless, The Human Blanket ended up putting on a spectacular performance and defeated Shahbazyan via a third-round TKO.
On that note, Kevin Holland went 5-0 in UFC during 2020. The Trailblazer is regarded as one of the top prospects in the Middleweight division today. In fact, many argue that his recent win over Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza has already turned him into a legitimate top-tier contender.
Derek Brunson once again heads into the main event matchup as the underdog. He will look to upset one of the best strikers in the UFC Middleweight division today in the form of Kevin Holland.