In a battle between middleweight contenders at UFC 241, it was the veteran Derek Brunson who emerged victorious over rising star Ian Heinisch.
Brunson may have had flashbacks to his two recent first-round knockout losses when he ate a kick to the head from Heinisch just seconds into the match. But the veteran recovered nicely from a flash knockdown and settled into the fight.
Although Heinisch was the aggressor by consistently applying pressure, Brunson remained calm and successfully landed his shots. Brunson scored the unanimous decision win, but the first round looked like it could've gone to Heinisch.
However, rounds two and three were all Brunson. His patience early on paid dividends as Heinisch was visibly worn down and fatigued from all of his early aggression. This allowed Brunson - who looked fatigued, but also composed - to score multiple takedowns and land clean shots.
With the win, the No. 8-ranked Brunson is now 20-7. Heinisch, who was ranked No. 10 entering Saturday, falls to 13-2.