Derek Brunson | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Derek Brunson has a new home in the PFL, and he’s already booked his first fight.
The UFC veteran will clash with two-time PFL champion Ray Cooper III in a middleweight bout scheduled at the upcoming finale card on Nov. 24 in Washington D.C.
PFL officials confirmed the matchup to MMA Fighting on Thursday.
After spending 11 years in the UFC, Brunson was released from the promotion but wasted no time inking a new multi-fight deal with the PFL. Brunson is expected to compete in the PFL light heavyweight season long tournament in 2024, but he’ll remain in his old stomping ground at 185 pounds in his debut.
During his long run in the UFC, Brunson remained a constant threat in the middleweight division while earning impressive wins over Darren Till, Kevin Holland and Edmen Shahbazyan. He’ll now look to make waves in the PFL but he’ll face a stiff test in his first appearance with the promotion.
Cooper has been a mainstay in the PFL for the past five years while claiming the championship on two different occasions while competing at welterweight. Struggles to make the welterweight limit eventually came back to haunt Cooper, which is why he’ll now look to make an impact at middleweight instead.
Over the past few years, Cooper has earned wins over Rory MacDonald as well as knockouts over Jake Shields and current UFC middleweight contender Chris Curtis.
Brunson vs. Cooper joins the lineup at the PFL finale card in November, which will also feature championship bouts across six divisions as well as the return of Kayla Harrison when she faces ex-Bellator champion Julia Budd.
Exclusive - Sayantani Ghosh expresses happiness as sets of her show Dahej Daasi shifted close to her home; says 'I've been manifesting this for quite some time now'
Suspect arrested for ‘threatening to kill Trump and his VP pick JD Vance’ in Florida days after assassination attempt
Biden's anger bleeds through as party weighs his future
Faculty of International Journalism and Mass Communications Eurasian International University is conducting an additional intake of applicants!
D&D's new 2024 Player's Handbook will have 10 species to choose from including goliaths, and drow will be closer to their Baldur's Gate 3 version
According to BioWare, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the first entry in the series where "the combat's actually fun" and where characters are "intentionally" the focus of the storytelling, which seems pretty unfair on the first three games
Интервью AppTime с компанией Innova: релиз Gran Saga в России, внутриигровая оплата и «Масленица» в корейской MMO
