 successfully defended this light heavyweight title extending his win streak to nine.){kind=link}
Written by Derek Moody, October 8, 2016, at 11:51 p.m.
Currently David Branch 19-3 (9-0 WSOF, 2-2 UFC, 2-0 BMMA) successfully defended this light heavyweight title extending his win streak to nine. Branch is the only defending two division champion within a major mma organization. He won the middleweight title back in 2014 and has defended it twice as well as capturing the light heavyweight title a year ago. Yesterday at WSOF 33 he defeated Vinny Magalhaes for his first light heavyweight title defense while forcing Magalhaes into retirement.
In the UFC we’ve witnessed Randy Couture and BJ Penn win titles in two different weight classes but not simultaneously. The UFC and Dana White in particular are pushing for Conor McGregor to be the first within the promotion to acquire that record.
The difference between McGregor doing it and Branch is that Branch actively defends both titles while McGregor will be stripped of a title. At least Dana White has said that but no one really knows how much truth is behind that when the UFC cash cow would be the one wearing both belts. It wouldn’t make sense to strip him in terms of business.
Branch has a completely different journey as him holding two belts is purely based on skill as he had to enter a middleweight and light heavyweight tournament to win the belts and then defend them. What he’s doing within the World Series of Fighting deserves more attention and recognition.
When a fighter doesn’t fight for the UFC some of their accolades go unnoticed. Which is the case for two division champion David Branch. Successfully defended both titles throughout the year will eventually make Branch a household name.
Branch’s Run In With Rumble Was Necessary
This was a wake up call and humbling experience for both fighters, truly a turning point in their careers. David Branch’s run in with Rumble Johnson needed to happen for Branch’s career to advance to the next level. Rumble was kicked out of the UFC for missing weight multiple times which served as a blessing in disguise. I
t enabled him to realize he was cutting too much weight and fighting at the wrong weight classes which limited his strength and stamina. When they fought at Titan FC, they both missed weight and fought at a catchweight of 195 lbs.
The best thing that could have happened to Rumble was moving up to light heavyweight and heavyweight. He was able to tap into his strength unleashing his raw power on his opponents. It humbled Rumble to fight for a smaller promotion and grind his way back up to the UFC where he’s about to challenge for the title a 2nd time in under two years. This fight started a nine fight winning streak before losing during his UFC Light Heavyweight Title fight.
Final Thoughts
This was a wake up call for Branch because he held his own against a feared Rumble Johnson. It was a fight that was very winnable because Rumble looked far from impressive. Losing this fight showed Branch that he wasn’t too far from top form. Neither fighter was able to display their abilities during the fifteen minutes. The decision was unanimous for Rumble even though Branch appeared to have won round one.
Wild inaccurate strikes and several minutes of lay and pray consumed most of rounds two and three. Unable to capitalize on the ground pound, the ground game served more as lay and pray. He did push the pace chasing Branch all three rounds but the weight cut took a toll on his performance.
A new found motivation arose after that loss. A nine fight winning streak which includes winning and defending two different titles simultaneously are very rare. That feat alone makes Branch a stand out fighter in the mma world. We’ll have to see what title he defends next and if he can continue this dominance.