"In December, I'll be in top form"- UFC middleweight Derek Brunson plans to be ready to go by the end of 2022
Veteran UFC middleweight Derek Brunson has suggested that he’s likely to return to the octagon by the end of the 2022 calendar year. Brunson’s most recent fight was a second-round KO loss against Jared Cannonier at UFC 271 in February.
The loss to Cannonier ended Brunson’s five-fight win streak. Had ‘Blonde Brunson’ won the No.1 contender’s matchup, he would’ve received a shot at the coveted UFC middleweight title held by Israel Adesanya.
Unfortunately, Brunson suffered a vicious knockout defeat at the hands of ‘The Killa Gorilla’. Brunson subsequently suggested that he’d probably retire from the sport of MMA after his next fight.
Nevertheless, the consensus is that Brunson’s latest tweet insinuates that he might compete a bit longer than he’d previously claimed. The 38-year-old hinted that his next fight could transpire in December:
“IN DECEMBER ILL BE AT TOP FORM !#BLONDEBRUNSON”
🏾♂️IN DECEMBER ILL BE AT TOP FORM !#BLONDEBRUNSON 👱🏾♂️
As first reported by Ariel Helwani, it was recently revealed that the No.4-ranked UFC middleweight Derek Brunson will fight the No.8-ranked Jack Hermansson at a UFC Fight Night event on December 3rd. Fans can expect additional details regarding the event to emerge in the days to come.
Jack Hermansson x 
Derek Brunson slated for Dec. 3, per sources.
🇸🇪 Jack Hermansson x 🇺🇸 Derek Brunson slated for Dec. 3, per sources. https://t.co/CI4GAByNaC
Derek Brunson was nearly moved to tears watching Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier
Having beaten Derek Brunson, Jared Cannonier earned the No.1 contender status and went on to face Israel Adesanya for the latter’s UFC middleweight belt. The Adesanya-Cannonier matchup headlined UFC 276 in July. It turned out to be a relatively lackluster fight, as ‘The Last Stylebender’ comfortably outpointed Cannonier and secured a unanimous decision victory.
In an interview with The Schmo, Derek Brunson later revealed that he almost came to tears while watching the aforesaid fight, as he believes he should’ve been the one fighting ‘Izzy’ for the title.
Brunson, who’s long been looking to avenge his 2018 TKO loss against Israel Adesanya, opined that he’d have forced the champion to grapple more. Furthermore, he indicated that keeping his cardiovascular conditioning at its best would’ve helped him defeat Adesanya. Brunson said:
"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."
Watch Brunson’s full interview with the Schmo below: