Former WSOF middleweight champion David Branch has notched one win so far in his second UFC run. On Saturday night, he will be facing the biggest test of his career as he fights former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in the headliner for the UFC’s Pittsburgh event.
For some reason, Branch feels that Rockhold is underestimating him, and as early as now, he is already prepared for it.
“He’s going to try and come out to establish his dominance,” Branch said on Monday’s MMA Hour episode (via MMA Mania). “He’s going to try and run his alpha male sh-t on me and I’m going to shut that sh-t down, obviously.”
Branch is basing off his assumption on Rockhold’s defeat to Michael Bisping at UFC 199 in June 2016. Rockhold dropped the belt in the said fight via first round knockout, and has not returned to action since, due to a knee injury.
From his end, Branch is not looking to commit the same mistake.
“I think that in that fight against Bisping the motherf–ker slipped up,” Branch said. “You can’t go out there and take anybody lightly. That’s the thing with me, I come from a different background than Luke, and I don’t have that kind of indoctrination that he does. I come from the f–king streets and I don’t take anybody lightly.”
Branch’s interview begins at the 2:24:27 mark of the video.
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