Despite a four-fight win streak and a higher ranking in the middleweight division, Derek Brunson finds himself as the underdog with less attention surrounding him as he prepares to clash with Darren Till in the UFC Vegas 36 main event this weekend.

A big part of the buzz surrounding Till has revolved around his never-ending interest in a future fight against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, which has been frequently reciprocated by “The Last Stylebender” ever since he claimed the title. In fact, Till has been an opponent Adesanya has talked about facing regardless of resume as the British veteran currently sports just a 1-1 record in the 185-pound division.

None of that weighs on Brunson’s mind as he prepares for his third straight main event. He’s come to understand why Till is such a magnetic character with a better record than many fighters with similar buzz surrounding them.

“There’s a lot of guys [like that],” Brunson said when speaking to MMA Fighting. “I would say he earned it more than a [Sean] O’Malley or something like that. I think what 18-4, former title challenger, a win over Stephen Thompson, he had another quality win, too. He has some quality wins.

“He put himself in a great spot. He’s from the U.K. with a big following, that helps also. He’s just a guy that has a lot of buzz around him. His personality, a solid fighter.”ABCD