The former two-division World Series of Fighting titleholder agreed to terms with One Championship in January and will look snap out of a three-bout tailspin in the Singapore-based organization. Branch was booked to make his promotional debut at One Championship “Full Circle” on Feb. 25, but his scheduled encounter with Leandro Ataides fell through in the days leading up to the event. The 40-year-old Bronx, New York, native last competed under the Russian Cagefighting Championship banner in December 2019, when he submitted to a first-round guillotine choke from former Bellator MMA champion Alexander Shlemenko.
As Branch awaits word on his future from One Championship matchmakers, a look at some of the rivalries upon which he has built his reputation:
Rousimar Palhares
The volatile Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt submitted Branch with a heel hook in the second round of their UFC Live 3 prelim on March 3, 2011 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Palhares brought it to an emphatic close 1:44 into Round 2, long before an arriving crowd of 8,319 had reached its seats. Branch executed a takedown in the first round, only to run into immediate danger inside his counterpart’s notoriously venomous guard. Palhares threatened with an armbar and a triangle choke, then zeroed in on a leg lock. Branch freed himself, moved to a more favorable position and cut loose with some significant ground-and-pound. Palhares seized the reins in the middle stanza, where he snatched a single-leg against the cage, transitioned to the heel hook and prompted the tapout. The loss—Branch’s first by submission—resulted in his release.
Jesse Taylor
Branch laid claim to the inaugural World Series of Fighting middleweight championship when he submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 finalist with a brabo choke in the first round of their WSOF 10 main event on June 21, 2014 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Taylor conceded defeat 1:41 into Round 1. Branch tested the waters with a body kick, sprawled on an attempted takedown and assumed top position, then lured the Californian into a false sense of security by allowing him to bite down on an attempted guillotine. Taylor eventually bailed on the maneuver and wound up in a defensive posture on the bottom. Branch progressed to half guard and caught the brabo choke during the scramble that ensued. Hopelessly entangled in the clutches of a Renzo Gracie-trained black belt, Taylor had no choice but to raise the white flag.
Krzysztof Jotko
A former two-division World Series of Fighting champion, Branch made a triumphant return to the Octagon when he eked out a split decision over the American Top Team rep in their UFC 211 middleweight showcase on May 13, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Jeff Mullen and Aladin Martinez for Branch, Sal D’Amato for Jotko. Neither man did much to separate himself from the other. Branch struck for takedowns in the first and third rounds but did little to consolidate them with meaningful ground-and-pound or positional control. The pace slowed to a crawl at times. Jotko landed a spinning back elbow and walked his counterpart into a few left hands in the second round but struggled to get out of neutral, his momentum often cut off by the American’s commitment to the grind. It turned out to be the last stop on an 11-fight winning streak that resurrected Branch’s career.
Luke Rockhold
The American Kickboxing Academy product needed roughly five minutes to knock off the rust from a 15-month layoff, but once he did, he set his sights on Branch and struck him into submission in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 116 headliner on Sept. 16, 2017 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The end came 4:05 into Round 2. Not all went according to plan for Rockhold, who found himself on the rebound following a career-altering upset loss to Michael Bisping. He struggled to gain a foothold in the fight in the first round, where Branch met him with merciless forward pressure and had him reeling against the cage with power punches at one point. Rockhold withstood the assault and pushed the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt into the second round. He struck for a takedown with a little more than two minutes left in the frame, climbed immediately to mount and started dropping punches. Branch rolled from his back to his stomach in an unsuccessful bid to free himself. Punches continued to fall until the Renzo Gracie protégé decided he had endured enough and capitulated.
Jack Hermansson
The onetime Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder on March 30, 2019 submitted Branch with a guillotine choke in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 2 co-main event at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Hermansson drew the curtain 49 seconds into Round 1, authoring the third sub-minute finish of his career. He wasted no time getting down to business. The Frontline Academy standout forced the American onto his back foot with an awkward but aggressive standup attack, secured a takedown and caught the arm-in guillotine when Branch tried to escape to his feet. Hermansson wrenched the choke, forced his adversary to release a fence grab and tightened his squeeze until the deed was done. Soon after, the UFC parted ways with Branch for a second time.