Israel Adesanya responds to Derek Brunson: ‘You still a bum…son’

Derek Brunson made a strong case for title contention following a third-round submission victory over Darren Till at UFC Vegas 36 on Saturday, but Israel Adesanya wasn’t impressed.

Brunson, who suffered a knockout defeat to Adesanya back in 2018, called for a rematch with the reigning UFC middleweight champion in his post-fight interview.

“I’m tired of these guys not mentioning my name,” Brunson said. “You know [Israel Adesanya], look at the camera and mention my name. I heard you mentioning Till and [Jared] Cannonier, yeah. Cause I’ve been busting my butt for four years after my loss to get back to this point. I’m ready to contend.”

Adesanya responded on Twitter by reminding Brunson of the result of their first matchup at UFC 230 and insisting the 37-year-old is ‘still a bum’ despite his top-five position in the middleweight rankings.

“Calm down…boy. You still a bum…son.”

Brunson has bounced back from his loss to Adesanya with five consecutive wins and believes he has earned the right to sit out and wait to fight the winner of Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 for the middleweight title.

“I’m not broke. I’ll sit and wait, you know what I’m saying?” Brunson said following his latest win. “I know Izzy and Whittaker got a fight coming up. I’ll sit and wait. That gives me five or six months to go ahead and get my body right and prepare for this really last, long title push that I’m trying to make.”

Adesanya vs. Whittaker II is expected to take place in 2022, although no date or venue has been announced.