“It’s just bigger,” Ex-UFC veteran unveils promotion’s transformation from the arena of the ‘baddest’ to vast stage for rising stars

Ex-UFC fighter Derek Brunson weighs in on the promotion being center stage for new upcoming talents, than proving ground for established powerhouses, and the symbiotic link from one to another in modern times.

“It’s just bigger,” Ex-UFC veteran unveils promotion’s transformation from the arena of the ‘baddest’ to vast stage for rising stars

PFL Debutant Derek Brunson weighs in on his previous promotion, the UFC (Source: Twitter)

Derek Brunson signed with PFL after parting ways with the UFC. The fighter makes his promotional debut at the 2023 PFL Championship on Nov. 24. Before Brunson made his PFL debut, he talked about the landscape of the UFC.

Brunson deemed it as a bigger organization than when he came to the company. The veteran MMA fighter talked about his UFC stint with Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. He felt deserving of a title shot during his five-fight win streak. He also revealed that fighting up-and-coming guys did not motivate him enough. This was the reason for his split from the UFC. Brunson revealed the difference between the UFC from ten years ago and now. This is what he said:

The UFC is a lot different from when I first joined. Only the baddest guys fought in the UFC. Now the UFC, they’re signing a lot of guys so they can build more guys up. It’s just bigger so they’ve got a lot more guys.
Derek Brunson via MMA Fighting
YouTube video

Upon signing his release, Brunson immediately had options available to him, including a potential deal with BKFC. However, he chose to sign with the PFL instead. He’ll debut facing two-time PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III in a middleweight bout. He then aspires to eventually move up to light heavyweight in 2024.

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Brunson has spoken on these aspects before as well. The fighter did admit that, with PFL, the removal of matchmaking politics was a relief. Brunson mentioned he was happy with this new opportunity, and winning was all that mattered. Only time will tell if Brunson becomes successful in the PFL.

Derek Brunson posts and reaffirms a successful weigh-in for PFL 2023

The 2023 PFL Championship fighter weigh-ins occurred this Thursday, where all $1 Million finalists made their marks. The weigh-ins occurred at the PFL host hotel in Washington, D.C., hosted by The Anthem. Derek Brunson, formerly of the UFC, was also present. The fighter had very recently signed up with PFL and made his debut.

Derek Brunson weighs in successfully for PFL 2023 championship
Derek Brunson weighs in successfully for PFL 2023 championship (Source: Twitter)

Brunson faces Ray Cooper III for his debut outing in the main card. Brunson weighed in successfully at 185.8lbs, at par with the middleweight limit. Cooper, however, came in at 186.8lbs.

Consequently, Cooper had an hour to cut the additional weight. Although he left for the process, the fighter decidedly stood against the stance. As per stipulations, if a bout with a catchweight is permissible, Cooper would lose a percentage of his bout purse as fines.

Brunson took to X (formerly Twitter) to post on the same. Other names at the weigh-in included Magomed Magomedkerimov, Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Kayla Harrison, and others. However, Chris Wade and Josh Blyden also missed weight in the prelim cards and would face fines similarly.

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