David Branch defends middleweight belt vs. Yushin Okami at WSOF 15
WSOF middleweight champion David Branch (14-3) will make his first title defense in a fight against onetime UFC title challenger Yushin Okami (30-8), the promotion announced today.
During a media teleconference in support of WSOF 12, which takes place Saturday at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, President Ray Sefo said the bout will take place on Oct. 24.
A WSOF official told MMAjunkie that the date coincides with WSOF 15, but a city and venue for the event is not yet set. An additional WSOF source said the fight is not expected to be the WSOF 15 main event.
Branch, a UFC vet, won the inaugural WSOF middleweight title with a first-round submission of fellow octagon vet Jesse Taylor at this past month’s WSOF 10, which also took place at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The champ remains undefeated under the WSOF banner with four straight wins.
Okami, however, represents one of the more significant threats in his high-profile career. The Japanese vet debuted for WSOF in March and earned a second-round submission of Svetlozar Savov at WSOF 9. The win put him back on the right track after a first-round TKO loss to Ronaldo Souza ended a seven-year UFC career in which he went 13-5 in the octagon.
Additional matchups for the Oct. 24 have yet to be announced.
