David Branch has been axed by the UFC after news broke of his two-year sanction.
Yesterday (Sept. 18), USADA announced that Branch failed an out-of-competition drug test back in May. The former two-division World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion tested positive for ipamorelin. He received a two-year suspension as a result, putting him on the shelf until July 2021.
Mike Russell took to his Twitter account to reveal that sources told him Branch is done with the UFC.
MMAFighting.com followed up with the UFC for confirmation. Branch has indeed been let go by the promotion. This is the second time Branch has been released from the UFC.
Branch entered his second run in the UFC with a ton of momentum. He was riding an 11-fight winning streak and held WSOF gold in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions. Branch defeated Krzysztof Jotko via split decision in his first bout back in the UFC, but he’s gone 1-3 since.
Branch was submitted by Jack Hermansson in 49 seconds in his last outing. It could very well be his final bout under the UFC banner as Branch will be nearing the age of 39 when his suspension is up. Time will tell if Branch fights on to earn a third stint with the UFC, or if he’ll decide to hang up his gloves.
