MMA fighter Robert Whittaker has taken another step towards realising his dream of claiming a UFC title, after beating Derek Brunson in Melbourne.
The Sylvania Waters fighter, who was ranked no.7 in the UFC middleweight division going into the fight, defeated no.8 ranked Brunson yesterday.
The fight ended when Whittaker, 25, landed a kick to the head before pouncing on Brunson and unleashing a flurry of punches. The fight was stopped at 4:07 in the first round.
The victory was Whittaker’s sixth win in a row, sending a clear message to other contenders in the middleweight division that he wants the title.
Whittaker told UFC.com he was ready for a shot at higher-ranked opponents in the middleweight class.
“I’m ready for those top five contenders,” he said. “I’m ready for my shot.
“Me and my coaches all got together and we had a solid game plan, and we knew he was gonna come out tough, but I had no idea he was going to come out that hard.
“I knew I had to weather the storm – he’s a heavy hitter. I tried to duck and weave as much as I could, but I stuck to my game plan, I stuck to my set-up, I ended up breaking out and circling out, and working to his weakness.”
