Two middleweight bouts have been added to the UFC’s return to Vancouver.
Sources close to the situation informed MMA Junkie that veteran Uriah Hall will meet Antonio Carlos Jr. at September 14’s UFC on ESPN+ 16 from a venue yet to be determined in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The sources asked to remain anonymous. The news comes after the bout was first reported by Combate earlier this morning.
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 finalist Hall was seen knocking out Bevon Lewis in his last fight at UFC 232. The win snapped a down streak where he had dropped four of his prior five fights.
Carlos Jr., meanwhile, lost a disappointing decision to Ian Heinisch at May 18’s UFC on ESPN+ 10. The loss snapped an impressive five-fight win streak for the Brazilian. He complained that Heinisch committed several fouls during the match that were ultimately not acknowledged by the presiding official.
Another Middleweight Bout
A second middleweight bout was also added to the card.
Former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) two-division champion David Branch will face TUF 23 winner Andrew Sanchez at the event, sources confirmed to MMA Junkie as well.
Branch needs a big victory to snap his recent two-fight skid. He was finished by rising contenders Jared Cannonier and Jack Hermansson in his latest pair of bouts. His last win came over current light heavyweight title contender Thiago Santos back in April 2018.
Sanchez will look to build a three-fight win streak against one of his biggest UFC opponents in Branch. He recently bounced back from back-to-back knockout losses to Ryan Janes and Anthony Smith in 2017 by defeating Markus Perez last August and Marc-Andre Barriault at May 4’s UFC Ottawa, the promotion’s latest trip to North of the Border. Sanchez won both fights by unanimous decision.
UFC Vancouver is currently without a headliner for the event. Hall vs. Carlos Jr. and Branch vs. Sanchez are the only two fights currently scheduled for the card.
