Derek Brunson and Darren Till, two top-ranked 185-pound contenders will be looking to stake their claims this Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 36 which takes place in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The whole card featuring the main event between Till and Brunson was supposed to take place in London but due to travel restrictions, the fight was rescheduled to take place in Apex itself.
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Derek Brunson is currently ranked #5 in the middleweight division and has his eyes on a title shot as soon as possible. In his MMA career, Brunson has a total of 22 wins while losing 7 fights. The 37-year-old American Martial Artist is currently on a four-fight win streak with wins coming over Kevin Holland, Edmen Shahbazyan and Ian Heinsich and Martin Day, the most recent one being against Kevin Holland at UFC Fight Night back in March which he won by unanimous decision after five rounds.
As for his opponent, Darren “The Gorilla” Till is ranked #7 in the middleweight division and is looking to get back to winning ways. Initially, the fighter from Liverpool was set to take on Marvin Vettori in a title eliminator fight but had to pull out of the fight because of a collarbone injury. Till, who currently holds an MMA record of 18 wins and 3 losses (1 NC) most recently fought against former Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in July 2020 in which he proved how tough of a fighter he is as he lasted five rounds against the reaper to lose on a unanimous decision.
PREDICTION: DARREN TILL TO WIN VIA KNOCKOUT
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Derek Brunson is all about his heavy hands, powerful takedowns and nasty ground and pound. Now, with that being said, he has plenty of flaws when he is standing up against his opponent. For example, in his last fight against Kevin Holland, Brunson got caught by plenty of strikes but it was the takedowns that helped him win via decision. The problem in fighting TIll is that the Gorilla holds an 83% takedown defense rate which should hold off Brunson from taking him to the canvas. When Till is on his feet, he has a higher level of feints, striking and cardio compared to his opponent and many have questioned Brunson’s chin which makes him susceptible to getting knocked out by Till on Saturday.
Shashank Iyer