Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold finally returned to the octagon after a long layoff to rest his body and heal nagging injuries. Rockhold took on former WSOF champ David Branch in the main event of last nights UFC Fight Night show from Pittsburgh, PA and finished Branch in the second round after dominating the grappling exchanges. Branch had some success early by pressuring Rockhold and taking away his distance, but Rockhold made the adjustments in round two and ultimately overwhelmed Branch on the ground to get the stoppage.
BloodyElbow.com was following all of the action from last night UFC event.
“David Branch took it right to the UFC’s former middleweight champion right out of the gate, letting his hands fly and landing regularly. After an assaulting combo, Branch puts Rockhold on his back, albeit briefly. Rockhold would realize a takedown of his own, to finish the round on top. The second stanza saw an aggressive Branch early on, and Rockhold was quick to look to grapple. After pinning his opponent up against the cage, Rockhold achieved a takedown, and beautifully transitioned into full mount, causing Branch to expose his back. Once in control of the back, Rockhold was relentless with his onslaught, and continued to pepper away on Branch until the referee had seen enough.”
