Manager reveals Derek Brunson was injured and could “barely drive his car” ahead of UFC fight with Darren Till

Manager Ali Abdelaziz revealed his client Derek Brunson was injured and could “barely drive his car” ahead of his UFC fight with Darren Till.

Brunson used his wrestling, ground-and-pound, and finally, his submission skills to take out Till in the third round of their UFC Vegas 36 main event on Saturday. Don’t look now, but Brunson is on a five-fight winning streak and is closing in on the top of the UFC middleweight division. However, according to his manager Abdelaziz, there was a chance that Brunson was not even going to be able to make it into the cage against Till.

According to Abdelaziz, Brunson suffered injuries in his training camp three weeks ago, and he apparently wasn’t able to train and was barely able to drive his car before the fight.

Per Derek Brunson's (@DerekBrunson) manager Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00), Derek suffered torn cartilage and fractured ribs three weeks ago. Couldn't train and could "barely even drive his car."

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 4, 2021

Per Derek Brunson’s ( @DerekBrunson ) manager Ali Abdelaziz ( @AliAbdelaziz00 ), Derek suffered torn cartilage and fractured ribs three weeks ago. Couldn’t train and could “barely even drive his car.”

If this is true, it makes Brunson’s win over Till even more impressive. Despite being the far older fighter coming into the matchup, Brunson didn’t show any signs of being an aging fighter as he pretty much dominated Till from bell-to-bell and got the finish in the third round. For Brunson, it was his fifth straight win in the Octagon, and this one was arguably the most impressive of any of his recent wins as he was able to get the brutal finish over a top-10 ranked contender. The win should put Brunson in a good place when it comes to the UFC middleweight rankings. Although he might need one more win to get a rematch against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, he is closer than he has ever been.

What do you think is next for Derek Brunson after smashing Darren Till at UFC Vegas 36?