Both Daniel Cormier and Kenny Florian believe it will be Luke Rockhold getting his hand raised Saturday night over David Branch at UFC Fight Night 116.
Cormier, a teammate of Rockhold’s at AKA in San Jose, thinks the former UFC and Strikeforce champion finishes off Branch inside of the distance.
“In this fight he has all his weapons. He can kick, he can grapple,” Cormier said during a recent appearance on UFC Tonight. “I know David Branch is a phenomenal grappler, but I think he’ll struggle with the size of Luke Rockhold and his athleticism. David is a little slow fighting Luke and he’s a conventional fighter, so the left body kick will dig into the side of David.
“We’ve seen Luke finish people with that and put people in trouble. I have Rockhold in two.”
As for Florian, he believes Branch – a former two-division champion in the World Series of Fighting – will push Rockhold the full five rounds and 25 minutes.
“I think David can roll with Rockhold, especially with the submission game,” he said. “He might throw in a leg lock. He could surprise him. However, it’s going to be a close fight and goes the distance. Rockhold has a tough fight, but wins by a close decision.”
