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Derek Brunson

American mixed martial artist (born 1984)

American mixed martial artist (born 1984)

FieldValue
nameDerek Brunson
other_namesThe One
birth_nameDerek T. Brunson
birth_date
birth_placeWilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
height6 ft 1 in
weight186 lb
weight_classMiddleweight
reach77 in
styleWrestling, BJJ
stanceSouthpaw
fighting_out_ofWilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
teamPort City Sports Performance (until 2019)
Kill Cliff FC (2019–present)
Renzo Gracie Academy
Jackson's MMA (formerly)
rankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie
wrestlingNCAA Division II Wrestling
years_active2010–present
mma_kowin12
mma_subwin4
mma_decwin8
mma_koloss7
mma_decloss2
urlhttp://brunsonsmmaandfitness.com
universityNorth Carolina at Pembroke
sherdog68494

| Kill Cliff FC (2019–present) Renzo Gracie Academy Jackson's MMA (formerly) | dq-losses =

Derek T. Brunson (born January 4, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). He is most notable for his 21 fight tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) between 2012 and 2023, where he competed in the Middleweight division.

Background

Brunson attended John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was a member of the school's cheerleading, football. track, and wrestling teams. He was coached in high school wrestling by coach Dan Willis.

He then attended the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where as a member of the wrestling team, he was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American. Brunson majored in criminal justice and minored in sociology.

Following college, he turned his attention to mixed martial arts. Brunson was inspired by his high school classmate Shelly Johnson to pursue a career in fighting. Prior to his mixed martial arts career, Brunson was a therapist.

Mixed martial arts career

Brunson made his professional MMA debut in May 2010 against John Bryant where he won by a rear-naked choke in under a minute. He then won his next five fights with none of them making it past 2:30 of the first round.

Strikeforce

Brunson made his Strikeforce debut on June 24, 2011, at Strikeforce Challengers: Fedor vs. Terry against undefeated Jeremy Hamilton. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

In a quick turnaround, Brunson fought his second fight for Strikeforce just over one month after his debut. He faced Lumumba Sayers on the undercard of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson on July 30, 2011. He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Brunson's next fight was on November 18, 2011, at Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers against Nate James. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

He was scheduled to face Ronaldo Souza on March 3, 2012, at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey. However, the Ohio State Athletic Commission denied his fight license based on an eye exam he had submitted. Brunson fought wearing contacts in all of his bouts, but Ohio has a rule against this. He immediately scheduled a Lasik procedure and missed about six weeks. He later faced Souza on August 18, 2012, at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman and was defeated by KO at :41 of the 1st round.

The Ultimate Fighter

Brunson was accepted to compete in The Ultimate Fighter 17, but on the first day of filming he was pulled from the competition due to Showtime having yet to release him from his contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Brunson made his UFC debut replacing an injured Karlos Vemola against Chris Leben on December 29, 2012, at UFC 155. Despite being a late replacement and heavy underdog, Brunson utilized his superior wrestling to defeat Leben via unanimous decision.

He was expected to face Ronny Markes on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10. However, the bout was scrapped on the day of the weigh in as Markes was involved in a traffic accident. While Markes was not seriously injured, the incident prevented him from competing.

Brunson was expected to face Yoel Romero on August 31, 2013, at UFC 164 but was eventually forced off the card with an injury.

He was expected to face Antonio Braga Neto on November 6, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 31. However, Neto pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Brian Houston. Brunson won the fight in impressive fashion early, connecting with a head kick on Houston and then securing a rear-naked choke submission.

The bout with Romero was rescheduled for January 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 35. After winning the first two rounds, Brunson was dropped by a left hook and lost the fight via TKO due to elbows on the ground in the third round. Both fighters earned a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus award.

On February 15, 2014, it was announced that Brunson had signed a four-fight contract with UFC.

Brunson was expected to face Lorenz Larkin on August 2, 2014, at UFC 176. After UFC 176 was cancelled, Larkin/Brunson was rescheduled and eventually took place on August 30, 2014, at UFC 177. Brunson won the fight via unanimous decision.

Brunson was expected to face Ed Herman on December 13, 2014, at UFC on Fox 13. However, the bout was scrapped just hours before the fight, as Brunson was stricken with a stomach ailment. Subsequently, the bout with Herman was rescheduled and took place on January 31, 2015, at UFC 183. Brunson won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Brunson was expected to face Krzysztof Jotko on June 20, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 69. However, Brunson pulled out of the fight on June 9 citing a rib injury and was briefly replaced by Uriah Hall. Three days after the booking, Hall was removed due to an alleged visa issue. In turn, Jotko was removed from the card entirely.

Brunson faced Sam Alvey on August 8, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 73. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Brunson next faced Roan Carneiro on February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83. He won the fight via TKO, earning his third consecutive TKO stoppage in the first round.

He was scheduled to face Gegard Mousasi on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200. However, he later was forced to pull out of the bout.

Brunson faced Uriah Hall on September 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 94. Brunson won the fight via TKO in the first round after dropping Hall with a left hook and finishing him with a flurry of ground and pound.

Brunson faced Robert Whittaker on November 27, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 101. He lost the back and forth fight via first-round TKO. Both participants were awarded a Fight of the Night bonus.

Brunson faced Anderson Silva on February 11, 2017, at UFC 208. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. 20 out of 24 media sources scored the fight in favor of Brunson.

Brunson fought Dan Kelly on June 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 110. He won by knockout in the first round after dropping Kelly with a straight left and finishing him off with a barrage of ground and pound.

Brunson faced Lyoto Machida on October 28, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 119. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win also earned him a Performance of the Night bonus award.

A rematch with Ronaldo Souza took place on January 27, 2018, in the main event at UFC on Fox 27. Brunson lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

He was expected to face Antônio Carlos Júnior on August 4, 2018, at UFC 227. However, Brunson pulled out of the fight in early July citing an eye injury.

Brunson faced Israel Adesanya on November 3, 2018, at UFC 230. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Brunson faced Elias Theodorou on May 4, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 151. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

He faced Ian Heinisch on August 17, 2019, at UFC 241. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

In December 2019, Brunson announced on his social media that he had signed a new, six-fight contract with the UFC.

Brunson was expected to face Edmen Shahbazyan on March 7, 2020, at UFC 248. However it was announced on February 20 that the bout had been rescheduled and would take place on April 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed. The bout eventually was scheduled on August 1, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan. He won the fight via technical knockout in round three.

Brunson faced Kevin Holland on March 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 21. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Brunson faced Darren Till on September 4, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in round three.

Brunson was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. However, for undisclosed reasons the bout was moved to UFC 271 on February 12, 2022. He lost the fight via knockout in round two. Brunson stated that his next fight will be his final fight in mixed martial arts.

Brunson was scheduled to face Jack Hermansson on December 3, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 42. However, Brunson withdrew due to an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Roman Dolidze.

Brunson faced Dricus du Plessis on March 4, 2023, at UFC 285. He lost the fight via technical knockout due to a corner stoppage at 4:59 of the second round.

Brunson was scheduled to face Roman Dolidze at UFC 295 on November 11, 2023. On September 14, 2023, the fight was scrapped, as it was announced Brunson had parted ways with the UFC.

Professional Fighters League

After parting ways with the UFC on October 5, 2023, it was announced that Brunson had signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League, and that he would be a participant in their 2024 season as a light heavyweight.

Brunson made his PFL debut against Ray Cooper III on November 24, 2023 at PFL 10. At weigh-ins, Cooper came in at 186.8 pounds, .8 pounds over the limit, leading him to being fined a percentage of his purse which went to Brunson and the bout was held at a catchweight. Brunson won the fight by unanimous decision.

Global Fight League

Brunson was scheduled to face Omari Akhmedov in the inaugural Global Fight League event on May 24, 2025 at GFL 1. However, all GFL events were cancelled indefinitely.

Professional grappling career

Brunson faced Rodolfo Vieira in the main event of ADXC 7 on November 17, 2024. He lost the match by submission.

Personal life

Brunson has four children; he has never smoked a cigarette or drunk alcohol in his life.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=ROJIZwd_L4BVJzEu&t=692&v=MatG-AhQbzU|title=Derek Brunson Interview - He Felt Kind of Dejected With UFC, Explains Reasons For Move to PFL

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

  • Ultimate Fighting Championship
    • Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker
    • Performance of the Night (One time)vs. Lyoto Machida
    • Tied (Anderson Silva & Robert Whittaker) for third most wins in UFC Middleweight division history (14)
    • Tied (Nate Marquardt, Chris Leben & Brendan Allen) for third most finishes in UFC Middleweight division history (9)
    • Tied (Anderson Silva & Thales Leites) for fifth most bouts in UFC Middleweight division history (21)
    • Tied (Michael Bisping, Yoel Romero & Chris Leben) for fourth most knockouts in UFC Middleweight division history (7)
    • Tied (Rafael Natal) for third most takedowns in UFC Middleweight division history (36)
    • Fifth most control time in UFC Middleweight division history (1:09:34)
    • Fifth most top position time in UFC Middleweight division history (50:33)
    • UFC.com Awards
  • Sherdog
    • 2017 Robbery of the Year vs. Anderson Silva
  • MMAJunkie.com
    • 2017 Robbery of the Year vs. Anderson Silva
  • MMADNA.nl
    • 2017 Robbery of the Year vs. Anderson Silva

Amateur wrestling

  • National Collegiate Athletic Association
    • NCAA Division II All-American out of University of North Carolina at Pembroke (2003, 2005, 2007)
  • North Carolina High School Athletic Association
    • North Carolina 4A 215 lb 3rd place out of John T. Hoggard High School (2002)

Other accomplishments

  • Young Alumnus of the Year 2014 (UNC Pembroke)
  • UNC Pembroke Athletics Hall of Fame, Inducted 2016

Mixed martial arts record

| ko-wins= 12 | sub-wins= 4 | dec-wins= 8 | ko-losses= 7 | sub-losses= | dec-losses= 2 | dq-wins= | dq-losses= | other-wins=

other-losses=
Win
Ray Cooper III
Decision (unanimous)
PFL 10 (2023)

| |Washington, D.C., United States

Catchweight (186.8 lb) bout; Cooper missed weight.

| |Dricus du Plessis |TKO (corner stoppage) |UFC 285 | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |Jared Cannonier |KO (elbows) |UFC 271 | |Houston, Texas, United States

UFC Middleweight title eliminator.
Win
Darren Till
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till

| |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |Kevin Holland |Decision (unanimous) |UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |Edmen Shahbazyan |TKO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |Ian Heinisch |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 241 | |Anaheim, California, United States | |- |Win |Elias Theodorou |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy | |Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | |- |Loss |Israel Adesanya |TKO (knees and punches) |UFC 230 | |New York City, New York, United States | |- |Loss |Ronaldo Souza |KO (head kick and punches) |UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2 | |Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | |- |Win |Lyoto Machida |KO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida | |São Paulo, Brazil

Performance of the Night.
Win
Dan Kelly
KO (punch)
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt

| |Auckland, New Zealand | |- |Loss |Anderson Silva |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 208 | |Brooklyn, New York, United States | |- | Loss | Robert Whittaker | TKO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson | | Melbourne, Australia

Fight of the Night.
Win
Uriah Hall
TKO (punch)
UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson

| | Hidalgo, Texas, United States | |- | Win | Roan Carneiro | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy | | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | |- | Win | Sam Alvey | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux | | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |- | Win | Ed Herman | TKO (punches) | UFC 183 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Lorenz Larkin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 177 | | Sacramento, California, United States | |- | Loss | Yoel Romero | TKO (punches and elbows) | UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou | | Duluth, Georgia, United States

Fight of the Night.
Win
Brian Houston
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC: Fight for the Troops 3

| | Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States | |- | Win | Chris Leben | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 155 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | Ronaldo Souza | KO (punches) | Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman | | San Diego, California, United States | |- | Loss | Kendall Grove | Decision (split) | ShoFight 20 | | Springfield, Missouri, United States

For the ShoFight Middleweight Championship; Brunson missed weight (190 lb) and was ineligible to win the title.
Win
Nate James
Decision (unanimous)
Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers

| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Lumumba Sayers | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson | | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |- | Win | Jeremy Hamilton | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry | | Kent, Washington, United States | |- | Win | Danny Babcock | KO (punch) | World Extreme Fighting 45 | | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | |- | Win | Rhomez Brower | TKO (submission to punches) | XFP: The Holiday Fight Fest | | Wilmington, North Carolina, United States | |- | Win | Todd Chattelle | TKO (punches) | ICE: Fright Night 2010 | | Providence, Rhode Island, United States | |- | Win | Edward Jackson | KO (punches) | Carolina's Summer Fight Series 3 | | Jacksonville, North Carolina, United States | |- | Win | Chris McNally | KO (punches) | Carolina's Summer Fight Series 2 | | Wilmington, North Carolina, United States | |- | Win | John Bryant | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Carolina's Summer Fight Series 1 | | Wilmington, North Carolina, United States |

NCAA record

! colspan="8"| NCAA Division II Championships Matches |- ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event |- ! style=background:white colspan=6 |2007 NCAA (DII) Championships 7th at 197 lbs |- |Win

9-9
Loss
8-9
-
Win
8-8
-
Win
7-8
-
Loss
6-8
-
-
! style=background:white colspan=6
-
Loss
6-7
-
Loss
6-6
-
Win
6-5
-
Loss
5-5
-
Win
5-4
-
! style=background:white colspan=6
-
Loss
4-4
-
Win
4-3
-
Loss
3-3
-
! style=background:white colspan=6
-
Loss
3-2
-
Win
3-1
-
Loss
2-1
-
Win
2-0
-
Win
1-0
-

References

References

  1. (14 September 2018). "Derek Brunson UFC Profile". ufc.com.
  2. Damon Martin. (February 10, 2022). "Derek Brunson's preferred outcome for Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2: 'Beat each other up and I get the winner'". mmafighting.com.
  3. Dave Doyle. (May 1, 2019). "Derek Brunson believes new approach will pay off at UFC on ESPN+ 9". mmajunkie.com.
  4. Ollie Carlson. (December 13, 2019). "Hard Knocks 365 rebrands to Sanford MMA with sponsorship from Sanford Health". thebodylockmma.com.
  5. (April 17, 2021). ""My Brazilian Jiu Jitsu journey started in 2009.(...)"".
  6. Damon Martin. (January 22, 2011). "Names in the Game: Derek Brunson". MMAWeekly.com.
  7. "Derek Brunson ("The One") {{!}} MMA Fighter Page".
  8. Smist, John. (January 23, 2018). https://www.wect.com/story/37332040/high-school-athletics-helped-derek-brunson-with-ufc-career/ High school athletics helped Derek Brunson with UFC career]. ''wect.com''. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  9. "Derek B. UFC News".
  10. (March 1, 2011). "Strikeforce just signed a 6-0 force of nature to their middleweight division, and here's his TUF audition reel". MiddleEasy.com.
  11. "Derek Brunson Official Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Profile". mixedmartialarts.com.
  12. "MMA Diehards News {{!".
  13. "Derek Brunson vs. Lumumba Sayers Added to Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson Undercard". sports.yahoo.com.
  14. (28 July 2011). "Strikeforce Fedor vs. Hendo Play-by-Play: Derek Brunson vs. Lumumba Sayers".
  15. (6 October 2011). "Derek Brunson vs. Nate James slated for Strikeforce Challengers 20".
  16. (2012-02-21). "Following license denial, Strikeforce's Derek Brunson plans Lasik surgery". mmajunkie.com.
  17. (25 January 2018). "UFC Charlotte preview: Derek Brunson erased his Strikeforce loss to Jacare Souza — 'It never occurred'".
  18. (November 2012). "No TUF For You: Derek Brunson denied the chance to appear on The Ultimate Fighter by Showtime".
  19. (December 18, 2012). "Karlos Vemola out at UFC 155, Strikeforce vet Derek Brunson meets Chris Leben". mmajunkie.com.
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  32. Staff. (2014-07-09). "Danny Castillo-Tony Ferguson, Derek Brunson-Lorenz Larkin moved to UFC 177". mmajunkie.com.
  33. (31 August 2014). "UFC 177 results, photos: Derek Brunson smothers Lorenz Larkin for decision".
  34. Staff. (2014-09-18). "Derek Brunson vs. Ed Herman slated for UFC on FOX 13 in Phoenix". MMAjunkie.com.
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  36. Tristen Critchfield. (2014-12-16). "Derek Brunson-Ed Herman middleweight bout rebooked for UFC 183 on Jan. 31". sherdog.com.
  37. (February 2015). "UFC 183 results, photos: Derek Brunson tears through Ed Herman in 36 seconds".
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  39. Staff. (2015-06-09). "Uriah Hall replaces Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 69 in Berlin". mmajunkie.com.
  40. Staff. (2015-06-12). "Three days after UFC Fight Night 69 booking, Uriah Hall pulled from card". mmajunkie.com.
  41. Dave Doyle. (2015-06-16). "Derek Brunson vs. Sam Alvey set for UFC Fight Night 73 in Nashville". mmafighting.com.
  42. Steven Marrocco. (2015-08-08). "UFC Fight Night 73 results: Derek Brunson scores first-round TKO of Sam Alvey". mmajunkie.com.
  43. Nick Baldwin. (2015-12-04). "UFC announces return to Pittsburgh, first fight confirmed". bloodyelbow.com.
  44. Ben Fowlkes. (2016-02-21). "UFC Fight Night 83 results: Derek Brunson blasts Roan Carneiro for quick TKO". mmajunkie.com.
  45. (2016-06-19). "Derek Brunson out of UFC 200 bout with Gegard Mousasi".
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  49. Steven Marrocco. (2016-11-27). "UFC Fight Night 101 results: Robert Whittaker stops Derek Brunson in wild back-and-forth brawl". mmajunkie.com.
  50. Tristen Critchfield. (2016-11-27). "UFC Fight Night 101 bonuses: Robert Whittaker pockets $100K for first-round TKO". sherdog.com.
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  56. Staff. (2017-08-17). "Lyoto Machida returns, meets Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo".
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  58. (2017-10-29). "UFC Fight Night 119 bonuses: Derek Brunson's decimation of Machida was worth an extra $50,000". MMAjunkie.
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  63. Shaun Al-Shatti. (2018-08-03). "Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya slated for UFC 230". mmafighting.com.
  64. (2018-11-04). "UFC 230 Results: Israel Adesanya finishes Derek Brunson in Round 1 {{!}} BJPenn.com". {{!}} BJPenn.com.
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  69. (December 3, 2019). "Just signed my 6th UFC contract . Been in the best organization for almost 8 years, fought the best in the world. Still here , still motivated. The best is yet to come . Let's go 6-0 on this 6 fight contract . Thanks to my team and manager @AliAbdelaziz00 👊🏾".
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  76. Doherty, Dan. (2021-03-21). "UFC Vegas 22 Results: Derek Brunson Stops Hot Streak of Kevin Holland".
  77. (2 August 2021). "UFC: September 4 Event Moved From London to Vegas". Cageside Press.
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  79. (2021-09-28). "Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier for UFC 270. January".
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  81. Gibbons, Justin. (2022-02-12). "UFC 271: Jared Cannonier's Elbow Stops Brunson in Second Round".
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  83. Damon Martin. (2022-08-15). "Derek Brunson vs. Jack Hermansson set to clash at UFC event on Dec. 3".
  84. MMA Junkie. (2022-11-22). "Derek Brunson injured, Roman Dolidze steps in to face Jack Hermansson on Dec. 3".
  85. Mike Bohn. (2022-12-28). "Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis added to UFC 285 lineup in March".
  86. Jay Anderson. (2023-03-04). "UFC 285: War with Dricus du Plessis ends with Derek Brunson's corner throwing in the towel".
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