Brunson to ‘move on’ from UFC after 11 years

Longtime UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson and the promotion have mutually parted ways, Brunson’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, confirmed Thursday night with ESPN.

Abdelaziz said Brunson is now a free agent, and he believes Brunson will seek opportunities in other promotions in the light heavyweight division.

“Derek Brunson has been under the UFC umbrella for 11 years,” Abdelaziz said in a statement. “He had an amazing career there. The last seven years he’s been in the top 10 rankings. The UFC was amazing to him there, helped shape who he is today and we are very grateful for the opportunity. He has to move on and looking forward to what comes next for him.”

The X (formerly Twitter) account UFC Roster Watch reported earlier Thursday that Brunson was off the UFC’s online roster.

Brunson was scheduled to fight Roman Dolidze at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 in New York.

Brunson (23-9) is on a two-fight losing streak, but the losses came against top 185-pound contenders Dricus Du Plessis and Jared Cannonier. The North Carolina native had won five straight before that. Brunson, 39, has a 14-7 UFC record overall.