UFC Vegas 36: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till Main Event Recap

This past Saturday, September 4th, the UFC had UFC Vegas 36: Brunson vs. Till and it was a spectacular event, in my opinion. There were many great finishes with Paddy Pimblett (T/KO R1), Khalil Rountree (T/KO R2), Tom Aspinall (R1 T/KO), and more. But for this week, I’m focusing on the main event Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till. Read below for my Recap. 

UFC Middleweight Bout: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till

In my UFC Prediction, I took Darren Till -175. I truly believed Till would be able to stuff takedown attempts and would overall have stronger skill sets, but boy was I wrong. Brunson won via submission and proved how elite his wrestling skills are. 

The UFC Odds entering this fight were: Derek Brunson +145 and Darren Till -175.

For starters, Darren Till did not walk out to music because he thought “What’s the point?” Interesting take on that especially for your fans. 

Anyway, in round 1, the fight started off with basic striking until Brunson changed levels with a double-leg takedown and immediately sat in half guard. Brunson poured down with a brutal ground and pound. Till waited for his moment to get up while Brunson adjusted himself and was successfully able to get to his feet. Brunson clearly won the first round. 

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1434280665944633347

Round 2 commenced and Brunson aimed for another takedown right off the bat, but Till fought them off. Till was better at stuffing takedowns in this round; he connects on some heavy punches, but Brunson returns with another double-leg takedown to bring Till down on his back. Similar to round 1, Brunson worked till on the ground and remained in control until Till managed to make his way back to his feet towards the end of the round. Brunson won the second round.

Round 3 is where the action happens. Clearly Brunson’s game plan was working and his wrestling skills were  strong enough to bring down Till who has been able to stuff 82% of takedown attempts in his UFC career. Till picked up the heat with his striking; he connected with body kicks, heavy combinations, and even hurt Brunson. The pressure was on in this round, but Brunson chinned up and took Till to the ground to work his magic. Till gracefully gave up his back and bam, Brunson got his arm around his neck for a rear-naked choke to end the fight. Brunson won via submission at 2 minutes and 13 seconds in the third round.

Brunson is riding a 5-fight winning streak with wins against Elias Theodorou, Ian Heinisch, Edmen Shahbazyan, Kevin Holland, and now Darren Till. Brunson did call for a title shot, but we should see him inside the octagon next with Jared Cannonier. If he gains another win, then we can see him competing against Israel Adesanya. 

Till, on the other hand, is now 1-4 in his last five bouts. There are many question marks up in the air as to whether or not he is champion material. This is a good transition to my main question: What does Darren Till’s future look like inside the UFC?

https://twitter.com/MMAjunkie/status/1435636883476914184

Closing Remarks and What’s Next? 

This card had a great deal of finishes on it, but like always, I want to give recognition to the dog winners from over the weekend: Marcelo Rojo (+135), Julian Erosa (+150), Khalil Rountree (+130), and Derek Brunson (+145). 

Up next on the UFC schedule, we have UFC Vegas 37: Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann on Saturday, September 18th at the UFC Apex. I always love watching Anthony Smith fight inside the octagon, and I know a lot of you can agree with me on that one. 

The entire main card for UFC Vegas 37 is currently not out yet, so stay tuned to our UFC Picks content for updates. Be sure to also stay tuned to our weekly UFC Picks and Predictions show on SBR's YouTube page with David Manyun and our special guests - they give you all of their top UFC picks and predictions for the entire main card.