Before the middleweight steps into the octagon against Edmen Shahbazyan this Saturday, the UFC has uploaded one of Brunson’s most impressive finishes, which is against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida at UFC Fight Night 119.
Once Robert Whittaker snapped a strong five-fight winning streak at UFC Fight Night 101, it took a while for Brunson to get back into the win column as he was then dropped by former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. However, Brunson managed to regain some momentum by getting a quick knockout win over Dan Kelly at UFC Fight Night 110. Going in, Brunson was looking to rack up another win, with the North Carolina native having 17 wins and 5 losses.
Machida was looking to bounce back himself as the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion wasn’t the same fighter once he dropped the belt to Maurício Rua at UFC 113. While Machida got wins over names such as Ryan Bader, Dan Henderson, and C.B. Dollaway, the Brazilian was actually in the midst of a two-fight losing streak. Machida’s record was 22 wins and 7 losses going into his fight against Brunson.
Machida originally came into the fight as the favorite at UFC Fight Night 119; however, Brunson’s explosiveness and striking ability managed to surprise Machida and get the quick KO win. Check out the middleweight match-up below: