David Branch will have another opportunity to knock off a world-class middleweight contender when he takes on Ronaldo Souza at UFC 230 on Nov. 3 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, per a recent report by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
Branch, 36, is coming off a scintillating knockout finish over streaking Brazilian fighter Thiago Santos this past April. The former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) two-division king lost to former UFC champion Luke Rockhold last year, but seems to be on the right path at 185 pounds heading into the tail end of 2018. A victory over Souza will certainly put Branch on the short list of deserving title contenders entering next year.
Souza, 38, is coming off a tough split-decision loss to top middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum back at UFC 224. The world-class submission specialist has gone 3-2 since his eight-fight win streak was snapped by Yoel Romero back in 2015. “Jacare” remains one of the most well-rounded fighters at 185 pounds and can immediately reenter the title mix with a decisive win over Branch.
This middleweight pairing is currently the only fight tied to UFC’s end-of-year stop in New York City.
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