Three World Series of Fighting champions have decided to stick around with the promotion.
Bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes (14-4-1), lightweight champion Justin Gaethje (14-0) and middleweight champion David Branch (16-3) signed new multi-fight contracts with the organization, executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz informed MMAFighting.com on Friday.
“They all wanted to stay here,” Abdel-Aziz said. “They want to help build the brand. Marlon, in particular, had an opportunity to go elsewhere, but he wanted to stay here.”
In fact, Moraes’ contract recently expired, despite the fact that his next title defense against Sheymon Moraes (no relation) has already been announced and scheduled for Aug. 1. The Brazilian has won his last nine fights in a row.
In March, Gaethje (14-0) defeated Luis Palomino in a Fight of the Year contender. His next fight has not been signed just yet, however, he is expected to return to action in the fall.
Branch has a chance to become a two-division champion for WSOF, as he is also scheduled to fight Teddy Holder in the finals of the promotion’s light heavyweight tournament. The former UFC fighter is on a six-fight winning streak.