Brunson vs Till betting picks & odds – UFC Vegas 36 main event

Derek Brunson and Darren Till are set to clash in the main event of UFC Vegas 36 on Saturday night. Both Till (no.7) and Brunson (no.5) currently sit in the top 10 in the middleweight rankings, and the winner of this fight will likely get a shot at one of the division’s top five fighters. Here’s our breakdown and UFC betting preview for this weekend’s main event.

Brunson vs Till main event preview

Derek Brunson (22-7-0) is on a four-fight winning streak, most recently defeating Kevin Holland in March to snap his five-win streak. Brunson also pulled off upset wins against young up-and-comers in Edmen Shahbazyan and Ian Heinisch in his two fights before the Holland victory. The 37-year-old is 11-4 over his last 15 fights, with all four of his losses coming against top-level opponents in Robert Whittaker, Anderson Silva (in 2017), Ronaldo Souza and Israel Adesanya.

Darren Till (18-3-1) opened his career with a 17-0-1 record that included a 5-0-1 start in the UFC. The Brit earned a welterweight title shot at UFC 228 and was defeated by Tyron Woodley. After a knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal in his very next fight, Till made the decision to move to the middleweight division. He is 1-1 in his first two UFC fights since the switch, with a split-decision win over Kelvin Gastelum and a unanimous decision loss to Whittaker last year.

Brunson vs Till betting predictions

This makes for an interesting matchup. Brunson has historically enjoyed success against most of the division but failed to get over the hump against top contenders. Is Till a top contender? This question would have been answered with an emphatic ‘yes’ a few years ago, but suddenly Till is just 1-3 over his last four fights and his only win came by split decision.

That’s what this fight boils down to. We know what we are going to get from Brunson; his renewed emphasis on wrestling during his current win streak has resulted in more takedowns and more match control. He will look to counter on his feet and take this fight to the ground when he can. Will Till return from his 13 months away from action in top form, or will Brunson be able to control the match en route to another win?

We lean towards Till returning in style. He’s been around for so long that it’s easy to forget that he’s still only 28 years old. A year off to recharge and settle in at middleweight might be just what Till needed to get his career back on track. We’re looking for a statement win in this one.