UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson addressed his fans following a disappointing loss to Jared Cannonier.
Brunson fell to Cannonier at UFC 271 via second-round knockout after a dominant opening round. He utilized his wrestling and nearly sunk in a rear-naked choke submission as the first round came to a close.
However, Cannonier was able to find his footing in the second round and overwhelm Brunson with strikes. He would eventually land a lead elbow that dropped Brunson and followed it up with heavy ground-and-pound shots.
The fight was built up as a No. 1 middleweight contender fight between two of the top-4 middleweights in the UFC. Cannonier will more than likely get the next shot at Israel Adesanya later this year.
Shortly after the loss, Brunson took to social media to address his fans and update them on how he’s doing physically and mentally.
“Made a title push. Number 3 vs. 4 in the world,” Brunson said. “I came up short. Life lessons. I’m all good, sad but life will give you [these] moments.”
Entering UFC 271, Brunson was arguably the hottest middleweight in the UFC with five-straight wins. He hadn’t lost since falling to Adesanya at UFC 230 as the champion made his rise towards the title conversation.
Brunson has one more fight left on his deal and plans on competing once more in the Octagon before he calls it quits. Brunson made his UFC debut at UFC 155 following an up-and-down tenure in Strikeforce. Leading up to UFC 271, he alluded to retirement following the conclusion of his contract.
Who do you want to see Derek Brunson fight for his final UFC appearance?
