David Branch
David Branch has made a home in the WSOF cage, capturing both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in the promotion. Branch defended the 185-pound strap in the main event of WSOF 30 with a unanimous decision victory over Clifford Starks.
WSOF 30 took place from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The main card aired on NBCSN following prelims on MMAjunkie.
It appeared that the fight could be heading toward controversy as Branch (18-3) landed an illegal knee to the head of Starks (13-3) while he was on the ground late in Round 2. Following a few moments for the challenger to recover, referee John McCarthy took a point from Branch before resuming the action.
Starks closed out the frame with a guillotine attempt as time ran out, it was his best opportunity to finish the fight and he never came close again.
Branch went back to a grinding attack in Round 3, pinning Starks’ back to the cage and poking with small shots until moments where he chose to create distance and let his hands go. Late in the round, Starks found distance and landed some solid punches, with a strong focus on trying to land a heavy uppercut.
Starks wanted to continue the attack in Round 4, but ate several big shots from Branch before the champion exploded through a takedown to take top position on the ground. Starks grew frustrated as the round wore on and he was unable to remove himself from a bad position. That continued in Round 5 as Starks began complaining to McCarthy that Branch was not doing enough and got a restart only to be taken down again and mounted.
Starks was unable to get Branch out of mount and ate clean punches as the final seconds of the fight ticked off the clock.
Branch was awarded the clear unanimous decision by scores of 49-44 on all three official scorecards.
The two-division champion is now a perfect 8-0 in WSOF action.
Vintage Fitch grinds out decision to win welterweight title
Joao Zeferino (20-8) found himself in the position of so many who have stood across the cage from Jon Fitch (28-7-1) when the two met for the welterweight title.
Zeferino was faced with the relentless pressure of Fitch, who was willing to engage in a striking battle between fits of clinch battles against the cage to avoid the submission threat on the ground. As Zeferino wilted under the pressure, Fitch turned it up, putting the fight on the ground with more regularity and landing punches and elbows to the head and body.
While the fight continued to slide more and more out of his control, Zeferino refused to back down, spending much of Round 5 looking to lock up a limb for a “Hail Mary” submission. Fitch did not fall victim to the threat, however, and continued his trademark “Fitching” of Zeferino with wilting ground and pound to the final bell.
The scorecards reflected the dominant control of Fitch, reading 50-45 across the board as he captured the belt.
Fitch is now riding a two-fight winning streak and is on a 4-1 run. The victory was Fitch’s first in a major championship bout, finally securing a belt around the waist of the 38-year-old.
Magalhaes and Azitar earn close decision wins
Jake Heun (9-5) had moments where it appeared he could handle Vinny Magalhaes (14-7) in their light heavyweight bout, but the Brazilian was able to do just enough to squeak out the decision.
Heun used a variety of strikes, including a question mark kick and a spinning elbow to keep Magalhaes off-balance. However, Magalhaes adjusted and found ways to put the fight on the mat where he could use his world-class jiu-jitsu game to do enough work to take the fight via 29-28 scores on all three official scorecards.
In the opening bout of the main card, Abu Azaitar (12-1-1) edged out Danny Davis Jr. (11-11-1) by unanimous decision.
The welterweight bout featured solid back and forth action throughout with extended exchanges on the feet and Davis Jr. using takedowns effectively. But Azaitar landed the more telling blows in the stand-up, leaving Davis Jr. with a badly swollen eye from a head kick.
Full WSOF 30 results include:
MAIN CARD (NBCSN, 11:30 p.m. ET)
- David Branch def. Clifford Starks via unanimous decision (49-44, 49-44, 49-44)
- Jon Fitch def. Joao Zeferino via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Vinny Magalhaes def. Jake Heun via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Abu Azaitar def. Danny Davis Jr. via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie, 8:30 p.m. ET)
- Abubakar Nurmagomedov def. Matthew Frincu via KO (punches) – Round 2, 3:05
- Rex Harris def. Clinton Williams via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Steve Kozola def. Matt Church via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:57
- Adam Acquaviva def. Andres Ponce via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:10
- Zach Bunnell def. Jeff Roman via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
For more on WSOF 30, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
