Justin Gaethje’s third-round TKO victory over Luis Palomino at World Series of Fighting 19 in March is widely considered the best fight in company history.
So WSOF’s going back to the well.
Gaethje, the WSOF lightweight champion, will rematch Palomino in the main event of WSOF 23 on Friday, Sept. 18 in Phoenix, the company announced.
Additionally, the co-main on the card, which will air live on NBCSN, will crown the company’s first light heavyweight champion, as David Branch and Teddy Holder square off in the finals of a four-main tournament.
Gaethje (14-0) has been WSOF champion since finishing Richard Patinshock at WSOF 8 in Jan. 2014. His TKO of Palomino was the Grudge fighter’s 11th of his career.
The veteran Palomino (24-10), of Peru, has 13 KO/TKO wins to his credit, including a brutal finish of Lewis Gonzalez at WSOF 12 to earn his original shot at Gaethje.
The light heavyweight tournament was expected to be Branch vs. Thiago Silva. But Holder (9-1), as a fight-day replacement for Matt Hamill, needed just two minutes to finish Silva at WSOF 19. Branch (19-5) defeated Jesse McElligott on the same card to earn his spot in the finals.
Branch is the current WSOF middleweight champion and is looking to become the first two-weight-class champ in company history.