After Impressive UFC 241 Performance, Derek Brunson Calls Out Darren Till

Derek Brunson’s performance against Ian Heinisch at UFC 241 surprised many observers, and his choice of next opponent is likely to raise some eyebrows as well, as he offered to welcome a former welterweight contender to the middleweight division.

Brunson, a talented, dangerous but often erratic middleweight, looked like a different fighter on Saturday night as he delivered a composed, strategic performance across three rounds. Despite being on the receiving end of a head kick in the opening exchanges, Brunson remained calm and continued working his game plan.

Brunson ended up defeating Heinisch by unanimous decision and in his post-fight interview he credited UFC analyst and former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz for his performance turnaround. In something of a revelation, Brunson admitted he had never really had a head coach, and claimed Cruz convinced him to remedy that situation, which he did by teaming up with Henri Hooft at Hard Knocks 365.

After his victory, Brunson took to Twitter to seek out his next opponent by targeting former welterweight title challenger Darren Till, tagging manager Ali Abdelaziz, UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard and UFC president Dana White as he did so:

What’s up @darrentill2 . Next move on you @AliAbdelaziz00 @mickmaynard2 @danawhite pic.twitter.com/U5AA3E9JSF

— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) August 19, 2019

“What’s up [Darren Till]? Next move on you.”

Till has been fighting as a welterweight, but after being finished in his last two fights and in light of his large and difficult weight cut, “The Gorilla” has suggested his future may lie in the heavier middleweight division, where a win over Brunson would catapult him immediately into the top ten in the division.