Derek Brunson changes his mind on appealing UFC 208 loss to Anderson Silva

Derek Brunson kicked up a fuss about his controversial loss to Anderson Silva in the co-main event of UFC 208, yet seemingly has no intention to appeal the decision.

The No. 9 ranked UFC middleweight contender vented on social media about the poor judging and said he would be appealing the loss to the New York State Athletic Commission.

According to Fight Metric, Brunson outlanded Silva 118-54 in total strikes and 54-43 in significant strikes, but ‘The Spider’ dazzled the judges with his showboating and confidence.

Despite Brunson landing the harder shots, Silva won the fight with “his body language, pace, and psychological manipulation,” as Bloody Elbow’s Connor Ruebusch opined in a recent article.

Brunson, who has had a chance to simmer down since UFC 208, tweeted out that he would no longer be looking to appeal the loss and is now focused on booking his next fight.

The 33-year-old has now lost two straight, suffering a first round knockout to the No. 6 ranked Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 101 and losing to MMA legend Silva last week.

UFC veteran Tim Boetsch, who also lost at UFC 208 to ‘Jacare’ Souza, would be a fitting opponent for Brunson’s return.