Derek Brunson says controlling Israel Adesanya on the ground isn’t good enough, he wants to finish him

UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson says controlling champ Israel Adesanya on the ground isn’t good enough, as he wants to finish him.

Brunson is one of the hottest fighters in the UFC right now as the veteran middleweight has won his last five fights in a row, with his latest win, a submission victory over Darren Till, being the most impressive of the bunch. Following the big win over Till, Brunson called out Adesanya for a rematch in what would be a middleweight title bout. The last time these two fought, there was no title on the line and Adesanya knocked Brunson out in a devastating fashion. However, Brunson believes that he has made the necessary adjustments in order to defeat Adesanya and show that he can be beaten — and finished.

Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Brunson admitted that he can take away something from Adesanya’s fight earlier this year against Jan Blachowicz, where he was controlled on the mat and lost a decision for his only career defeat. As far as Brunson goes, Blachowicz was just content with holding Adesanya on the ground and never really looked for the finish. Brunson says that, if he gets another crack at Adesanya, he will finish the fight this time.

“I know given the chance on the ground, I’m looking to do mass damage,” Brunson said. “I’m looking to finish the fight. I’m looking to get him out of there. He’s going to be tested like he’s never been tested before where he fought Jan Blachowicz — Blachowicz was just content with controlling him. I’m going to be looking to finish.”

Adesanya is set to take on No. 1 contender Robert Whittaker sometime in early 2022 for the 185lbs strap, and Brunson could potentially fight the winner for the belt after that. However, he also recently admitted that he is open to a No. 1 contender bout with Jared Cannonier, or a superfight against the Paul brothers in order to stay busy in the meantime.

Do you think Derek Brunson has a chance to pull off the upset against Israel Adesanya?