LAS VEGAS – Derek Brunson can’t agree with Dana White’s analysis of Kevin Hollandin UFC’s “mental breakup” at the ESPN 21 main event.
After Brunson (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) extended his winning streak to four straight fights with a unanimous decision over the Netherlands (21-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at Saturday’s middleweight title at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. , the UFC president expressed confusion about the loser’s performance and the conversations in the trash in the cage.
White said he thought Holland was mentally broken due to the magnitude of the moment, and the result was a level of conversation and joke that was not characteristic, even for “Big Mouth.”
Brunson said he disagrees. Instead, he points to his enormous advantage in wrestling as a creator of differences in the octagon.
“He just couldn’t stop the retreat,” Brunson told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after the UFC fight on ESPN 21. “It’s funny that he kept giving me his hips, you know? He’s the kind of man to whom. “It’s very explosive what she likes to run, but it’s long so she can get away with it sometimes. She kept presenting her hips and was there for the retreat. Dana White is one of those guys. She’ll be upset with you.” “I’ll get out of the next fight and drop a boy and he’ll be happy again. So it’s all right.”
Brunson said nothing about the fight with Holland that really surprised him. But he doesn’t think it was a hit. He knew his opponent would be vocal to some extent and, although it was originally his response plan, he changed course once he saw how the fight unfolded.
“Come on, man: you have to do better than that,” Brunson said. “It simply came to our notice then. Work to get out of positions. You’re talking all the time. I was going to talk to him during the fight, but I say to myself, ‘This guy is stupid. It’s stupid. He just stays here talking and doesn’t improve his position, so I’ll leave him. I didn’t want to break his rhythm. Let him keep doing his things.
“I think he will learn from that. He needs to be more focused on the fight. He was fit, I was fit. I wanted to entertain between rounds, but this is the fighting game. It’s good to have fun, but you should probably be a little more focused on the fight because I was looking for my moments to punch him well and get him out. “
Brunson’s UFC four-win streak has now tied it with Marvin Vettori as the second longest among the active middleweights behind champion Israel Adesanya (new). He said he would be looking for a big fight next, potentially with former outfielder Paulo Costa.
The veteran, who was the betting guy for the Dutch entry, said he wished he had been able to make the victory more emphatic, but is pleased to raise his hand against a name that had many bubbles around it.
“To go out to get the win, shut it up, it feels good,” Brunson said. “It bothered me a little that I didn’t reach the finish line. I thought my land and pound would get it. He was pretty cunning in the background, holding my hands, holding my wrists and stuff like that. We got the win. To the next “.