Ray Cooper III almost knocked out Derek Brunson in the first round with a wild shot while Brunson was holding his leg. But he was able to recover and then ended the ground nearly finishing Cooper with ground and pound.
In the second, it was all dominance from Brunson, but he wasn't able to get the finish. The third round round started with Cooper in control on the ground, but without a finish, he had no hope of winning the fight. The whole three round affari closed with Brunson in control.
Brunson won on all three scorecards
Power off of 1 leg!#PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023
🇺🇸 ESPN+ PPV
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All Brunson to close out the 1st round! Ray Cooper III survives to see the 2nd round!#PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023
🇺🇸 ESPN+ PPV
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Here's how Twitter reacted to Brunson's promotional debut.
The first strike Derek Brunson throws in the PFL is a spinning hook kick 😂😭 #PFLWorldChampionship
— Ben Davis (@BenTheBaneDavis) November 25, 2023
Brunson coming back mid-round after taking crazy power is amazing. Wonder where that came from? #PFLWorldChampionship
— Hyon Ko (@KoreanJohn_) November 25, 2023
That one-foot knockdown was one of the wildest things I've ever seen in MMA. #PFLWorldChampionship
— Curtis Calhoun (@CalhounOnMMA) November 25, 2023
Derek Brunson appears to be a very lean 185. Looks to be in great shape for his PFL debut. Huge opportunity for him. Feels like a lot of the big signing stumble out of the gate, we’ll see if that continues.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 25, 2023
Brunson announced he'd asked to be released from his UFC contract and then promptly announced he'd signed with the Professional Fighters League. His debut was announced versus longtime returning former champion Ray Cooper III who has not fought for the promotion in over a year and a half.
The fight, contested at 186 pounds, served as an issue for Cooper after he failed to make weight for the fight. This was surprising as he'd fought at 170 pounds much of his career.