UFC 254 Full Fight Video: Watch Robert Whittaker Knock Out Derek Brunson

In the lead up to his November 2016 middleweight matchup against Derek Brunson, Robert Whittaker said, “I think either one of us could be in title contention eventually.” Whittaker, who was on a five-fight winning streak and ranked No. 7 at the time of that bout, could not have known how quickly that prediction would become reality.

Like Whittaker, Brunson was on a healthy winning streak. He had won five straight fights with four of those victories coming by way of knockout. Brunson, who was coming off a first-round knockout win over Uriah Hall was ranked No.8 in the division as the two fighters headed into the octagon for the main event of UFC Fight Night 101. 

Whittaker, who was fighting in his home country of Australia, was the +110 underdog according to the odds, was clearly the fan-favorite. Brunson was a -140 betting favorite. The bout was scheduled for five rounds. It did not last nearly that long.

Brunson attempted the first strike twenty seconds into the contest. A brief flurry of strikes followed from both fighters. Brunson then slowed things down with a takedown attempt. Whittaker fought off that attempt. The two then began to slug it out much to the appreciation of the Australian crowd. Another brief pause followed with Brunson trapping Whittaker against the fence. With two minutes left in the first stanza the two moved to the center of the cage. Brunson then got a little sloppy and rushed in with his chin out and hands down and got rocked by Whittaker. The Aussie slowed things down and looked for his spot. He found it with a huge head kick. He then opened up with a flurry of strikes and finished the fight at the 4:07 mark of the first round. 

The bout might have lasted less than five minutes, but it earned “Fight of the Night” honors. Whittaker added a “Performance of the Night” bonus for a total of $100,000 in bonus money for his efforts.

Whittaker knocked out Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in his next outing. He then fought Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight crown in July 2017. Whittaker won that contest by decision. He was promoted to undisputed champion in December when Georges St-Pierre relinquished that title. 

Whittaker lost the title to Israel Adesanya in 2019.

On Saturday, Whittaker faces Jared Cannonier in the co-main event of UFC 254. Before that fight takes place, watch Whittaker’s knockout win over Brunson right here. 

UFC 254 takes place on Saturday from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The event takes place much earlier than a normal UFC pay-per-view event. The ESPN+ streaming main card begins at 2:00 p.m ET. Following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at noon ET and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ at 11:00 a.m. ET.