CHARLOTTE – UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson believes a win over Ronaldo Souza leaves him at the door of a title shot, whether it’s for the interim or undisputed belt.

And so, he’s willing to wait for the logjam at the top of the division to clear. Staying busy with other opponents isn’t his priority.

“I think a win over the No. 3 (UFC ranked) guy (Souza), I can wait,” Brunson told MMAjunkie in advance of his headliner at UFC on FOX 27, which takes place Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. “I’m not hurting financially, so I can wait for that next title shot. The fights that I’ve had, the finishes I’m getting, I don’t think it’s very hard to market a guy who’s getting first-round knockouts.”

Indeed, Brunson (18-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) has finished his past two opponents inside 5 minutes, bouncing back from a pair of losses – including one to current champion Robert Whittaker – that had him on the cusp of a title shot.

Most recently, Brunson put away ex-light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida, which set him up for a rematch with Souza (24-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) six years after their first fight ended in a knockout loss.

Souza, meanwhile, hopes to get back into contention after his hopes were derailed by a knockout loss to champ Whittaker (19-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) last April.

The big question is how long the winner of Saturday’s fight will have to wait if a title shot comes calling. Yoel Romero (12-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who three years ago set back Souza, is now slated to fight for an interim title created when Whittaker (19-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was forced to bow out of a pay-per-view fight at UFC 221. Whittaker’s originally scheduled opponent, ex-champ Luke Rockhold (16-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), faces Romero for the belt.

It could take months for the winner of next month’s interim title bout to heal up, and then Whittaker needs to mend in order to unify the belt. That could leave Brunson on the shelf for quite some time. But the way he sees it, as long as he’s got a winning case for the No. 1 contender spot, he might as well stay put.

“I think it’s a fight that everybody wants to see, regardless of who it’s against,” Brunson said. “I think I’ll be waiting for something big after this for sure.”

To hear more from our one-on-one interview with Brunson, watch the video above.

And for more on UFC on FOX 27, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.