Rousimar Palhares vs. Dave Branch

Tragedy in Brazil, has forced Alexandre Ferreira out of his upcoming fight with Rousimar Palhares(11-3).  But, Heavy has reported that Dave Branch(8-1) has agreed to step up and fight Palhares at UFC on Versus 3.

22nd ranked middleweight Rousimar Palhares had been proclaimed a future UFC champion by Brazilian Top Team, but he has come up short when facing top competition(Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt). Palhares has the ability to end a fight in a moment’s notice, but his lack of height and reach has made him prone to losing the standup game against adversaries with solid takedown defense.

Dave Branch(ranked 47th) has made quite a nice recovery since his debut loss to Gerald Harris that was highlighted on ESPN’s Sportscenter. Branch has won his last two fights and has looked like a solid prospect in the division. This is the fight that may gain Branch the notoriety currently absent in his career, which should explain why he stepped up on short notice to take this bout against such a dangerous opponent.

Branch is well-versed in the submission game himself, but I’m not sure he wants to test his grappling skills against the human tree stump Palhares. Branch has the reach advantage and would be wise to use his jab and keep Palhares on the outside. The number one thing not to do with Palhares is blink because he is that quick at grabbing a leg and twisting his foes into submission. Branch is a solid fighter, but he doesn’t have the KO power that will keep Palhares from diving in for the takedown, so I’m going with “Toquinho.”