UFC 271 live blog: Jared Cannonier vs. Derek Brunson

This is the UFC 271 live blog for Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson on the main card of UFC 271 at Toyota Center in Houston. It will be a middleweight bout.

Cannonier, the No. 6 ranked middleweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, is a former heavyweight who has found his stride since dropping down to 185 pounds. He’s 4-1 in the division with his lone loss coming in a competitive fight with Robert Whittaker in 2020. Perhaps most important, though, is that middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has said he’d like to face Cannonier at some point. A win tonight could set up that fight should Adesanya defend his belt.

Brunson, meanwhile, is looking to upset those plans and finally grab a middleweight title shot of his own. A staple of the division since 2012, Brunson has put together his second five-fight winning streak inside the UFC to climb to No. 4 in the rankings. A win tonight will almost certainly punch his ticket to a title shot.

Check out the UFC 271 live blog.