VIDEO | Derek Brunson calls out a former champion following win over Lyoto Machida

UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson picked up a huge win in the headliner of last night’s UFC Fight Night 119 event in Sao Paulo, defeating Lyoto Machida via first-round knockout.

Brunson was able to rock “The Dragon” with a nasty left hand before eventually putting him to sleep with some viscous ground and pound.

Brunson’s jaw dropping victory spawned a plethora of high praise from his fellow fighters, while boosting Derek towards the top of the UFC’s middleweight ranks.

In his post-fight interview with current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Brunson was asked who he would be interested in fighting next. With that, Brunson decided to drop the name of former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.

Brunson, who has now won two fights in a row and seven of his past nine overall, discussed his win and post-fight callout in an interview with FOX Sports.

.@DerekBrunson on @LukeRockhold: "He's a top-level guy…a fight like that would get me a title shot." #UFCSP https://t.co/chZFqCwHDA

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) October 29, 2017

“I don’t know,” Brunson said when asked how he has managed six first-round knockouts as a wrestler. “I guess wrestling is my obvious skillset, but I like knocking people out.”

As for why he decided to call out Luke Rockhold, Brunson gave the following explanation.

“He’s a top guy. You know, nothing against Luke. He’s just a top level guy. He’s ranked high in the division, probably number one or two. A fight like that could get me a title shot so I’m aiming for the stars right now.”

Derek Brunson has gone 18-5 thus far in his mixed martial arts career.

The 33-year-old holds notable wins over Dan Kelly, Uriah Hall, Lorenz Larkin, Chris Leben and Sam Alvey during his UFC career.

Brunson’s most recent losses have come to former champion Anderson Silva, current interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero respectively.

Would you like to see a fight between Derek Brunson and Luke Rockhold put together by UFC officials? Sound off PENN Nation!