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Derek Brunson provided a short reaction to the PFL re-signing with ESPN.
Throughout 2023, the Professional Fighters League has made several significant moves to compete with other top-tier MMA promotions, including the signings of Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou. Despite their recent success, PFL still needed to secure a broadcasting deal as their ESPN partnership was coming to an end.
Donn Davis and company ended those concerns by re-signing with ESPN. Ariel Helwani confirmed the news with the following message on X:
“PFL has signed a new multi-year deal with ESPN. This doesn’t include Bellator, which they are currently shopping around”
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One of PFL’s newest signings, Derek Brunson, responded to Helwani’s tweet with the following message:
“Well done ESPN !!!”
On November 24, Derek Brunson made his promotional debut during the 2023 PFL World Championship, which took place in Washington, DC. Brunson was matched up against former PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III for a catchweight bout (186 pounds) after Cooper missed weight.
Brunson dictated the pace of the fight and racked up control time with his superior grappling skills. Once the fifteen minutes expired, the former UFC contender emerged victorious by unanimous decision. Having said that, the big question is, what’s next for the 39-year-old?
Who is Derek Brunson expected to fight next?
Earlier this month, a ground-breaking announcement was made about PFL buying Bellator. As a result, PFL revealed their plans to do a champion vs. champion event in early 2024.
The only problem is that PFL doesn’t have a middleweight and bantamweight division to accommodate two of Bellator’s biggest superstars, Patchy Mix and Johnny Eblen.
Luckily for Eblen, Derek Brunson put on an impressive performance against Ray Cooper III at middleweight. Therefore, the expectation is for Brunson and Eblen to meet in early 2024 at the PFL-Bellator champions event.
Eblen is widely considered to be one of the best fighters outside of the UFC. The former University of Missouri wrestler holds a professional MMA record of 14-0, including 10 wins under the Bellator banner.
The 31-year-old last fought on September 23, defeating Fabian Edwards with a third-round finish to retain his middleweight title. It’ll be intriguing to see how Eblen fares against a new group of talent presented by PFL.
