David Branch has a new opponent for UFC 230 and his name is Jared Cannonier.
Branch was originally scheduled to take on Jacare Souza on the main card of UFC 230. Once Luke Rockhold pulled out of his rematch with Chris Weidman, the UFC needed a replacement opponent. Souza was quickly pulled from his fight with Branch to take on Weidman.
David Branch Gets A New Opponent
While Branch lost the bout he worked so hard on social media to get, he will still be on the UFC 230 card. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto said that UFC president Dana White confirmed Branch’s new opponent is Cannonier:
Jared Cannonier has accepted the fight against David Branch, per Dana White. Branch stays on the UFC 230 card, after Jacare moves to Weidman.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 20, 2018
Cannonier has dropped two straight bout against tough opposition. He fell to Jan Blachowicz via unanimous decision and was stopped by Dominick Reyes in the opening frame. “The Killa Gorilla” will now be making the move down to middleweight.
Branch is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Thiago Santos. He was coming off a submission loss to Luke Rockhold. The defeat to Rockhold snapped Branch’s 11-fight winning streak. While a win for Branch may not improve his seventh spot on the UFC middleweight rankings, it may lead to another high-profile bout.
UFC 230 will take place inside Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 3. Headlining the card will be a heavyweight title bout between champion Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis. Middleweights Israel Adesanya and Derek Brunson will collide. MMA News will provide live coverage of UFC 230 on fight night.
Do you think Jared Cannonier poses a threat to David Branch?
