It's sad because Brunson's handlers are doing him no service. He's a young fighter who has skills, a fast jab, fast feet and a good body attack with obvious power but instead of advancing him through the ranks, they are putting him in there with no hopers to keep this gimmick streak alive. He turned pro 3 years ago and because of this, still hasn't taken a step up.

It's sad because while he has his 15 minutes now, his handlers pretty much robbed him of an effective upbringing, now as he is being called to make a step up in competition, he is going to be unprepared against any formiddable competition they are going to make him pay for doing things like rushing in with his hands down or reaching with his left hand. Guys are supposed to learn these lessons on their way up, but how is a guy like Brunson supposed to learn that when the people around him aren't concerned about making him into a champion and bringing him up through the ranks the proper way?

Stepping up is about much more then positioning yourself to fight better fighters and eventually win a title. There are critical things about the pro game that every fighter must learn as they begin their pro careers. While it means nothing to us, it's essential for young fighters to make the step up from a 0-2-1 bum to get your first when to a crafty 13-7 journeyman who isn't going to lie down for you. Fighters base their entire pro careers on those fights because that's how you learn. It does no use for Brunson to fight these guys just to put a name down on the record. Now look where he is, he's made a name for himself against tomato cans and he is being asked to step up. And the crafty 13-7 journeyman isn't an option anymore, fans want to see the bigger names and Brunson loses out on that knowledge that those guys bring, knowledge that will do him better in the long run but because of this streak, he gets 0-2-1 everytime.

Ridiculous. Brunson is only 23 and he is probably making a little bit more a fight for this streak then he would otherwise so I'm sure he loves up but it is robbing him in the long run. 19 fights and not one challenge posed, that's not right for the fans or the fighter and it's his promoters, managers, trainers and everyone else cashing in on this to blame.