Yoel Romero vs. David Branch on tap for UFC on FOX 28

Middleweight contenders Yoel Romero and David Branch are set to fight at UFC on FOX 28 in Orlando. Yoel Romero’s return to the Octagon is just around the corner.
The UFC middleweight contender will take on David Branch at UFC on FOX 28 in Fe…

Middleweight contenders Yoel Romero and David Branch are set to fight at UFC on FOX 28 in Orlando.

Yoel Romero’s return to the Octagon is just around the corner.

The UFC middleweight contender will take on David Branch at UFC on FOX 28 in February. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the original report from The Orlando Sentinel, adding that this will be a three-rounder, so it’s not the headliner. Both men expressed interest on Twitter that they’d be down to fight each other.

Romero (12-2) fought just once in 2017, losing a unanimous decision to Robert Whittaker in the UFC 213 main event. That contest was for the interim middleweight title, and marked the Cuban’s first ever defeat in the weight class. Romero holds notable wins over Lyoto Machida, Ronaldo Souza, and most recently a stunning flying knee KO of former champ Chris Weidman.

Branch (21-4) returned to the UFC earlier this year after simultaneously holding the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in World Series of Fighting. After winning by split decision vs. Krzysztof Jotko at UFC 211, Branch took on Luke Rockhold in September’s UFC Pittsburgh main event, ultimately tapping to strikes in the second round. That loss snapped an impressive 11-fight winning streak for the 35-year-old.

UFC on FOX 28 takes place on Saturday, February 24th at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. No main event has been announced, although a strawweight bout between Tecia Torres and Jessica Andrade is confirmed for this card.