Before Conor McGregor made it cool to hold two titles at the same time, David Branch did it first when became the first fighter to accomplish the feat when he submitted Teddy Holder in Sept. 2015 to add the World Series light heavyweight title to his waist as he was already the middleweight champion.
Unlike McGregor, who the UFC stripped of the featherweight title after he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight strap, WSOF let Branch keep and defend both belts.
That will no longer be the case as Branch requested and was a granted a release from the promotion. Branch gave a snippet into the reason why.
Going into my last fight I wasn't only fighting my opponent, I was fighting the whole entire promotion. I was threatened fight week
— David Branch (@DavidcBranchMMA) February 4, 2017
On Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour“, Branch officially declared he is now a free agent and wants get back into the UFC and show he is the best fighter in the world.
“I’m definitely a free agent now, I’m officially a free agent,” Branch said on the show. “I’m going to be looking to explore my opportunities on the outside of WSOF. And I think it was about time for me and the company to just split ways. There was some misunderstandings that happened, and as a result of those misunderstandings it was best for me to be released and stuff like that. Plus I just want to do other things.
“I think one of the big things that people — people and the media, and to myself, you know I’m 35 years old right now and at the end of this whole fighting career, and I’m a two-division champion and all that — but people will always say, ‘well he didn’t do it in the UFC.’ Well you know, here’s the deal. I’m a free agent now. People have been saying for years that I’m the best fighter on the outside of the UFC. I disagree. I believe that I’m the best fighter in the world. And I think that now is my opportunity to be able to prove that.”
Branch’s final fight in WSOF was on New Years Eve when he submitted Louis Taylor in the fifth round to retain the middleweight title. His last defense of the light heavyweight title was when he defeated Vinny Magalhaes by unanimous decision in October.
