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Derek Brunson: ‘We’re gonna get Holland to that breaking point’

There are plenty of people within the MMA community that take Derek Brunson for granted, but they’re wrong for doing so. Regardless, Brunson is not concerned with whether or not he is being underestimated against Kevin Holland in the main event of UFC Vegas 22. “It doesn’t really matter to me. I haven’t really been focused on all that stuff,” Brunson said. “My focus for this camp has been preparation and worrying about myself. I’m ranked number seven, he’s ranked number ten. He’s trying to take my spot, so it’s just business to me.” Brunson has fought the who’s who in the middleweight division. Names like Anderson Silva, Jacare Souza, Lyoto Machida, Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker, and of course, the reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He’s also enjoying a three-fight winning streak, most recently notching an impressive TKO victory over middleweight upstart Edmen Shahbazyan in August of 2020. He faces a similar challenge in Holland, a young and hungry up and coming fighter with superstar potential. But perhaps Holland has a little more personality than Shahbazyan. Derek Brunson cracks Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 5 UFC Vegas 22 Live Results: Brunson vs. Holland Derek Brunson intends to simply break Kevin Holland Holland shared that he has been frequently messaging Brunson over social media but to his dismay, has not gotten any responses from Brunson. Brunson refuses to pay any mind to Holland’s attempts to antagonize him. “Kevin Holland’s just a class clown. So I let him do his thing,” Brunson said. “He’s trying to be funny, but it doesn’t matter. You can talk; you can not talk. You can be silent; you can be outspoken. But I’m coming to knock people out. I’m coming to get finishes. So that’s not going to change one way or another.” Despite Holland’s antics, Brunson also provided some analysis of what he brings to the fight. “He’s rangy; he’s long. He comes to get it; he’s aggressive. But he’s breakable,” Brunson said. “We’re gonna get him to that breaking point and get the job done.” Brunson is deserving of an opponent above his rank with a win at UFC Vegas 22. He’s spent the past few fights of his fighting up and comers. With a victory over Holland, Brunson is more than capable of positioning himself for a fight that can propel him into the top 5 or even title contention. UFC Vegas 22: Brunson vs. Holland Preview Show (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)