Derek Brunson was able to use his wrestling to control Darren Till for extended periods tonight at UFC Fight Night 191, and after getting rocked by some hard punches in the third round he used that to get the fight back to the mat before swiftly securing a submission finish.
Round One:
Till with a left hand. He lands again and Brunson backs up but then fires back. Brunson trying to clinch but nothing doing.
Left hand again from Till. Brunson with a left hand. Till feeling out with a couple of punches but then lands a hard straight left.
Till connecting again. Brunson lands a punch of his own. Now Brunson is in on a takedown and seemed to catch Till off-guard, securing it nicely.
Brunson in half-guard and away from the cage here with plenty of time to work. Brunson briefly looking for a kimura, then tries to improve position, but is unable to do so for now.
Brunson able to get toa nice position in half-guard where he’s able to land some heavy ground-and-pound. He then takes his time before landing another big blow.
Elbow lands for Brunson then a clubbing left hand. He starts to fire off big punches and Till briefly attempts to escape, but is unable to.
Brunson with more punches. Till thinks about a leg lock. Brunson gives Till just enough space to burst back to his feet and he then gives Brunson a well-done pat on his back for his work on the mat before they get back to it.
Till sporting a little damage under his right eye as he manages to get to the center of the Octagon and will be eager not to be taken down again after the way that went. He takes his time now and keeps his distance, letting the final seconds of the round tick down.
Round Two:
Till has a notable swelling now to his right eye. Till lands a jab and then misses a big left, which enables Brunson to get in and clinch up, then attempt a takedown. However, this time Till is ready for it and fights hard to stay upright.
For now he succeeds as Brunson presses him up against the cage. Till lands a knee and then spins away, but Brunson is quickly back on him, clinching up and marching him over to the other end of the cage.
Till able to turn into him and gives Brunson a taste of his own medicine against the cage for a moment, before Brunson turns back into him.
Till able to get away and lands a jab. Reaching left hand for Brunson and then in on a double-leg and lands it.
So, Brunson is in half-guard again with more than half the round remaining, just as in the opening five minutes.
Till opting to stay tightly clinched to Brunson here in the hopes of getting a stand-up. Brunson trying to land a few body punches, but without much purchase. He does land an elbow now though.
Brunson remaining patient, but with 30 seconds to go he postures up, lands a punch and then stands looking to drop in for more. Till can’t take advantage immediately, but as Brunson comes back down he does find a way to stand back up, where he’s pressed against the cage for a few seconds before the round ends.
Round Three:
Good left hand landed by Till. Brunson misses with a big swing of his own. Another straight left connects for Till, but Brunson ties him up.
Till able to land a knee and escape. Leg kicks for Till. Now a nice knee to the body too. He lands a low kick again.
Till ducks a punch and pushes a takedown attempt away. He tries to work to the calf again. Till lands a knee and gets a punch in return.
Straight punches from Till seem to hurt Brunson. He tries to land again and Brunson is definitely troubled and has to rush in for a takedown attempt.
Till trying very hard to stay on his feet, but Brunson is determined and double-legs him to the mat. Till gives up his back and Brunson quickly sinks in a rear-naked choke, which swiftly delivers a tapout from Till at 2.13mins of the third round.
