Derek Brunson leaves the UFC

American veteran middleweight Derek Brunson not only will not have a duel with Roman Dolidze at the UFC 295 tournament, but also completely drops out of the promotion.

The 39-year-old fighter and the organization parted ways after 11 years and 21 fights, MMA Fighting reports with a link to UFC representatives.

Brunson was expected to face Dolidze in a middleweight bout on November 11 in New York at UFC 295, but the Georgian posted on social media on Wednesday that Derek had pulled out of the fight and challenged former champion Robert Whittaker.

Brunson's departure from the UFC was later confirmed by his manager Ali Abdel-Aziz:

“Derek Brunson competed in the UFC for eleven years. He had a great career in the organization. For the last ten years, he has not left the top ten rankings. The UFC helped him become who he is today, and I am very grateful to them for the opportunity. He needs to move on and we're looking forward to what's ahead."