Issue 128
May 2015
Derek Brunson missed his opportunity once. But thanks to MMA he’s back in contention and determined to realize his athletic potential at long last
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent. Derek Brunson knows it. He’s carried his ‘contender’ story around with him for 13 years. He’s learned to live with it, of course. But the pain of failing to live up to his potential once before is now driving his ambitions in mixed martial arts.
Age: 31
Pro debut: 2010
Team: Jackson-Wink
Division: middleweight
Height: six-foot-one
Style: wrestling/striking
Growing up in Wilmington, North Carolina, Brunson was a natural athlete. In high school he was an All-American defensive end on the football field and placed second in the US in the 400m dash. He also played basketball, baseball and, in his senior year, excelled on the wrestling mats.
Back then he admits he never dreamt of being a prizefighter. He never sat through college staring adoringly at images of championship belts, or lay transfixed for hours watching VHS tapes of early UFC events. He was just never that into fighting.
His teenage grappling prowess led to a scholarship at Pembroke University, a Division II college, where he majored in criminal justice. He began wrestling at 184lb, before switching to 197lb in his senior year.
“I was wrestling all of seven months, and now I was going from high school-level competition to college level in less than a year, all I was thinking was, ‘These guys are legit,’” Brunson tells FO.
The 184lb weight class was extremely competitive, featuring six state champs from North Carolina and one from Texas. But Brunson proved his credentials and outwrestled a three-time champion from Florida in one tournament.
“This was my favorite year while wrestling because to me this is when I got my best results,” he says. “I placed fourth in the nation my freshman year, I was real hungry and went at giving it my best shot.”
Throughout his college career, he competed in a total of 146 matches, finished with a record of 125-21 and was a three-time Division II All-American. But he would never climb higher than the fourth place he achieved in his first season of competition.
“The three wrestlers who finished ahead of me my freshman year were all seniors, so I came back my sophomore year and everyone was like, ‘This guy is going to be the three-time Division II National champ’,” Brunson says.
“But I didn’t work hard enough, you know. From that experience I learned you need to work hard at everything you do in life and push yourself at whatever.”
Upon graduating in 2006, Brunson still didn’t have any aspirations to become a mixed martial artist, especially one competing in the UFC. He became a caseworker, helping kids out and teaching them lessons they could use in everyday life.
It would be another three years before he finally got the urge to start working out again. And it was only after going to the gym to wrestle with some amateur fighters, that Brunson finally caught the MMA bug.
Quickly, he ran up a lethal 6-0 pro record – all first round finishes – before he was signed by Strikeforce, debuting for the promotion in June 2011. Five years on, the 31-year-old is a real threat in the UFC’s middleweight division.
After back-to-back judges decisions, UFC fans finally got to see the real Derek Brunson in the Octagon. Cold, clinical and concussive, the North Carolina middleweight dispatched veteran Ed Herman in just 36 seconds at the end of January at UFC 183.
With nine first-round finishes in his 13 career wins, Brunson is a real triple threat in mixed martial arts. A standout All-American collegiate wrestler, he’s also got check-cashing heavy hands, along with a Renzo Gracie-honed jiu-jitsu game.
The losses on his 13-3 record suggest he’s a fighter who can be hit. But Brunson insists potential 185lb opponents should call him out sooner rather than later because he’s fast improving with every contest.
“I’m in no rush,” he says. “I’m not out there calling for my shot at the belt. I’m just looking to keep on getting better for each fight. I’m a wrestler by trade and I’m working on getting every other element of my game up to the same standard. And when I do that I believe I will be champion of this division.
“I’ve been fighting for a long time, but I want to take my time and keep learning. I’m in a great camp with Greg Jackson, down in Albuquerque, so I’m just taking my time and getting better.”
It’s in New Mexico too where Brunson is being inspired to reach the next level. One champion in particular has proved especially inspirational. “I’m at the best camp where I see Jon Jones. Every fight he just improves,” Brunson admits.
“When this guy is in the gym he’s really locked in. He’s always focused and always looking to learn new tools. I’m really trying to up my game just like that.”
He adds: “I’m not a jerk or an a-hole. In fact, I still don’t even know why I’m fighting. I’m a nice guy (laughs). But I also want to be a positive role model. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink. And it’s all just hard work. I want to be a role model for the kids.” A role model with revitalized championship potential.
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