Brunson was a competitive cheerleader and also wrestled at John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, under coach Dan Willis. Brunson had scholarships for both cheerleading and wrestling, but chose to wrestle in college. He was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American wrestler for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. When he finished college, he immediately turned his attention to mixed martial arts.
Brunson made his professional MMA debut in May 2010 against John Bryant where he won by a rear-naked choke in under a minute. He then won his next five fights with none of them making it past 2:30 of the first round.
Brunson made his Strikeforce debut on June 24, 2011, at Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry against undefeated Jeremy Hamilton. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

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