Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Derek
Brunson has taken aim at a showdown with YouTube star turned
boxer Jake Paul
following a triumphant
Professional Fighters League debut against Ray Cooper
III at the
2023 PFL Championships on Friday in Washington, D.C.
Brunson (24-9) signed with the PFL in October after he “mutually”
parted ways with the UFC. The North Carolina native entered his
first assignment with the company on the heels of back-to-back
losses to Jared
Cannonier and Dricus Du
Plessis inside the Octagon. Brunson rebounded and found his way
back into the win column in his catchweight clash with Cooper at
The Anthem.
Apart from facing some adversity in the first round, where Cooper
staggered him while countering a takedown, Brunson managed to
control and beat up the Hawaiian throughout the three-round affair.
Judges awarded him 30-27, 30-25 and 30-25 marks on the scorecards.
Afterward, Brunson looked forward to partaking in the biggest
fights the PFL has to offer. One name, in particular, moved to the
forefront. During his post-fight interview, Brunson took the
opportunity to call out Paul, who signed a deal with the PFL
earlier this year to compete in the promotion’s superfight
division.
“I came here to ball. Where the hell is Jake Paul?” Brunson asked.
“Hey, I came for the big fights. I want to put PFL on the map. They
showed faith in me, brought me over here, signed me, and I want to
put on a hell of a show for the fans; and next time, we going to
look to come out here and get a finish.”
Paul is currently gearing up for his Dec. 15 boxing match with
Andre August. According to PFL Chairman Donn Davis, the 26-year-old
expects to make his mixed martial arts debut toward the end of
2024. Should a rematch with Nate Diaz fail
to materialize for Paul under the PFL banner, perhaps Brunson could
be the man to welcome “The Problem Child” to MMA.