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

Ask and you shall receive.

A marquee middleweight matchup between Yoel Romero and former World Series of Fighting two-division champion David Branch has been slated for Feb. 24 at UFC on FOX 28. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the news Friday afternoon following an initial report by The Orlando Sentinel.

The bout comes to fruition mere weeks after Branch called out Romero on Twitter. It will be a three-round contest, per Helwani.

Romero (12-2) returns to action for the first time since narrowly losing an interim title bout against Robert Whittaker in July at UFC 213. Prior to the setback, the 40-year-old Romero racked up a sterling 8-0 record inside the Octagon, highlighted by stoppage wins over Chris Weidman, Lyoto Machida, Derek Brunson, and Tim Kennedy. An Olympic silver medalist wrestler, Romero also captured a split decision over Ronaldo Souza.

Branch (21-4), meanwhile, looks to rebound after losing via second-round TKO to Luke Rockhold in his first UFC main event this past September. The performance snapped an 11-fight win streak that saw the 35-year-old Branch become a two-division champion in WSOF, then capture a split decision over Krzysztof Jotko in Branch’s long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 211.

UFC on FOX 28 takes place at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Other announced bouts for the card include Jessica Andrade vs. Tecia Torres, Ben Saunders vs. Alan Jouban, Gilbert Burns vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier, and Jake Collier vs. Marcin Prachnio.