Derek Brunson aiming for fresh start ahead of Anderson Silva bout

This Saturday Derek Brunson will square off with Anderson Silva in the co-main event of UFC 208 at the Barclays Center. It’s a chance for a fresh start after his loss to Robert Whittaker in Melbourne last November. Having learnt from his mistakes, Brunson is feeling hopeful about his odds this weekend, which are 73/100, against Silva’s 1/1, according to Betstars.

“The [winning] streak was nice, but it’s gone now, so now it’s reset time. One of the things that I need to do in my fight, that I could have done in the Whittaker fight, is reset. When I was bombing on him, he was covering up pretty well and I could have reset. That’s pretty much how I’m approaching this new streak that I’m trying to start. Just trying to reset, refocus and pile up another streak,” he explained to UFC.com.

Of Silva ‘The Spider’ he says: “He’s a big name – the biggest name opponent that I’ve fought, the most veteran guy that I’ve fought – so to go out there and beat him would put me right back on schedule and that’s what I’m looking to do.

Brunson began his MMA career in May 2010, beating John Bryant in under a minute. He is currently ranked as one of the best fighters in the middleweight division. Before his loss to Whittaker, he had won five bouts straight – four of them with a first round knockout.

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, from Brazil, holds the longest title streak in UFC history. He held the title for 2,457 days, with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defences, until 2013. Today he is often cited as one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time.

The slated match between the two fighters came about at short notice, which has left both with little time to prepare. But this hasn’t phased Brunson. “To come in here and beat a guy like Anderson Silva puts me right back on schedule,” he said, “I would have liked a little more time, but hey, I’m sure he would have too. We’re both going to go out there and mix it up.”

Silva most recently lost to Daniel Cormier at UFC 200, after he stepped in for Jon Jones at just two-days notice. And despite his reputation, has not won a bout since 2012, when he still held the title of middleweight champion. He did beat Nick Diaz by unanimous decision in 2015, but the fight was later turned into a No Contest, after Silva failed the post-match drugs test.

The Brunson-Silva match will be headlined by the first ever women’s featherweight title fight, slated for the same night between Holly Holm and Germain de Randmaine.