Derek Brunson to Face Antonio Carlos Jr. in Middleweight Bout at UFC 227

Derek Brunson and Antonio Carlos Jr. will clash in a middleweight bout at UFC 227.

The promotion confirmed the pairing on Wednesday evening. UFC 227 takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 4 and features a bantamweight title rematch between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt.

Brunson last appeared at UFC on Fox 27, where he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza. The North Carolina native entered that matchup on the strength of back-to-back first-round knockout victories over Daniel Kelly and Lyoto Machida. Brunson is 9-4 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Carlos Jr., meanwhile, has quietly compiled a five-fight winning streak inside the Octagon. Most recently, “Cara de Sapato” tapped out Tim Boetsch 4:28 into the opening round of their encounter at UFC on Fox 29. Four of Carlos Jr.’s five victories during his streak have come via submission.