A pair of contests has been added to the UFC’s upcoming return to New Jersey, though a main event still awaits.
UFC officials today announced middleweights David Branch (21-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and light heavyweights Corey Anderson (9-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) vs. Patrick Cummins (10-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) for the April 21 event, which takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
A bout order for the night has yet to be revealed, but the main card airs on FS1 following prelims on FS2 and UFC Fight Pass.
Branch is currently ranked No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, while Santos is an honorable mention. At light heavyweight, Anderson is an honorable mention, as well.
Former WSOF dual-division champ Branch is looking to rebound from a September loss to Luke Rockhold. He was expecting to face Yoel Romero later this month at UFC on FOX 28 before Romero was moved to an interim title shot at this weekend’s UFC 221 in Australia. He now faces Santos, who recently registered his fourth consecutive knockout victory and asked for a step up in competition.
As for Anderson and Cummins, it won’t be the first time the UFC has attempted to have the 205-pound matchup. They were booked at UFC 217 in November, but Cummins contracted a staph infection and was forced to withdraw. Anderson ended up suffering a knockout loss to replacement opponent Ovince Saint Preux.
With the additions, UFC Fight Night 128 now includes:
- Aspen Ladd vs. Leslie Smith
- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Augusto Mendes
- Magomed Bibulatov vs. Ulka Sasaki
- David Branch vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
- Corey Anderson vs. Patrick Cummins
- Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Luan Chagas
For more on UFC Fight Night 128, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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