Former two-division WSOF champ David Branch has signed with the UFC

Earlier this month, we learned that World Series of Fighting star David Branch had entered free agency. Branch, who was the champion of both the WSOF light heavyweight and middleweight divisions, made this announcement on a recent episode of The MMA Hour.

“I’m officially a free agent,” he 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.”

Just weeks into his free agency, Branch has now signed with the UFC. His new contract with the organization was confirmed by MMAFighting.com.

Branch, of course, is not unfamiliar with the organization. He has fought in the Octagon four times before, defeating Tomasz Drwal and Rich Attonito and losing to Gerald Harris and Rousimar Palhares. At the moment, the details of his return to the Octagon are not known, though we can expect him to join the middleweight roster, rather than the light heavyweight roster.

As a WSOF fighter, he went 10-0, scoring notable wins over Jesse Taylor, Yushin Okami, Clifford Starks, Vinny Magalhaes and Louis Taylor.

Who do you want David Branch to fight in his return to the Octagon? Sound off, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/15/2017.