Derek Brunson was a sizable underdog in his UFC on ESPN+ 31 main event this past Saturday.
Brunson was at +300 against Edman Shahbazyan, who was a 4-1 favorite and widely expected to continue his unbeaten ascension in the UFC’s middleweight division after a 4-0 start in the UFC with three straight first-round finishes.
But Brunson put Shahbazyan’s rise to an end with a stunning third-round TKO in the headliner. But how far could Brunson climb in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings?
This week, we have the UFC back in Las Vegas again with heavyweights atop the card. And Bellator returns, as well, with a key lightweight matchup between a former promotional champ in Michael Chandler and a former UFC and WEC champ in Benson Henderson. So there could be lots of room for movement next week.
But for now, check out all of our latest rankings in the drop-downs above heading into this weekend’s action.
