5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till

#2. Tom Aspinall – defeated Sergey Spivak in UFC Fight Night co-main event

Tom Aspinall is ready for a run at the UFC's top heavyweights judging by last night's performance

Tom Aspinall came into last night’s event with the reputation as arguably the hottest prospect in the UFC heavyweight division. He certainly didn’t disappoint.

Faced with a late replacement opponent in the form of Sergey Spivak, Aspinall wasted no time and put the Moldovan away in violent fashion halfway through the first round.

It was enough to earn the native of Liverpool his fourth UFC win and fourth finish. It also earned him an extra $50k bonus, clearly making his weekend judging by his reaction.

What it’s all about. 💰 Tom Aspinall reacts to earning #UFCVegas36’s POTN bonus. 👏 pic.twitter.com/wAVwGT5WLY

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 4, 2021

So how far can Aspinall go in the UFC? On the evidence we’ve seen so far, the sky is the limit. He’s got the size and power to mix it with the biggest fighters in the division. He’s also a much smoother fighter than some give him credit for, with excellent technique in all areas.

The elbow he finished Spivak with last night, for example, could have come right from the playbook of current UFC interim heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane. 'Bon Gamin' ended the night of Junior Dos Santos with a similar move in 2020.

Aspinall was ranked at #13 going into last night’s event and should find himself moving up the ladder come next week. It’s time to move this prospect into title contention because, judging by this, he’s definitely for real.

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#1. Derek Brunson – defeated Darren Till in UFC Fight Night main event

Derek Brunson's win over Darren Till puts him on a five-fight win streak

Coming into last night’s main event, the majority of the focus was on Darren Till. Sure, he was coming off a loss while Derek Brunson was on a four-fight win streak, but UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya had outright labeled ‘The Gorilla’ a potential challenger for his crown.

After last night though, the momentum now lies with Brunson. He simply whitewashed Till, using his superior size and wrestling to ground the British fighter before beating him down.

Till did well to survive the onslaught in the first two rounds, by the third he was clearly fading. Brunson took him down, passed to full mount, and then took his back and choked him out.

Brunson may have a slight issue when it comes to gaining a title shot; he already has a loss to Adesanya and current top contender Robert Whittaker.

But when he’s on a five-fight win streak and can perform like this, it’d also be unfair to deny him some kind of opportunity. A top contender’s bout with Jared Cannonier then – preferably on the same card as Adesanya vs. Whittaker – would work best.

Either way, Brunson was undoubtedly last night’s biggest winner.

Under the big lights, Blonde Brunson cashes in a BIG performance.Don't forget about 🟡 @DerekBrunson when it comes to MW title contenders! #UFCVegas36 pic.twitter.com/XZ2YTgHuHa

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 4, 2021