Derek Brunson continued to come up big as an underdog when he faced rising star Edmen Shahbazyan in the main event of UFC Fight Night 173.
Brunson knew he had to weather an early storm from Shahbazyan, and he was able to do just that. Shahbazyan cracked Brunson with a few shots, but a composed Brunson used his forward momentum to land a couple of takedowns and tie him in the clinch. The grappling exchanges started wearing on Shahbazyan, and Brunson started to let his hands go more. Toward the end of Round 2, Brunson took Shahbazyan down and landed brutal ground and pound that almost put him out.
An exhausted and hurt Shahbazyan barely made it to his stool, and Brunson was able to finish the job off just 26 seconds into the third frame.
Brunson (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) returns to action Saturday when he takes on Darren Till (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 191 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Before he faces Till, relive Brunson’s finish of Shahbazyan in the video above.
UFC free fight: Derek Brunson derails unbeaten Edmen Shahbazyan’s hype train