Luke Rockhold returned to action with a second round finish of David Branch in the UFC Pittsburgh main event.

The marquee matchup for UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch saw Luke Rockhold make his return to action by stopping David Branch with strikes in the second round. Branch found early success with his boxing in the opening round, going right at Rockhold, and landing often, but Rockhold remained composed, and came back to find the finish. In his post fight interview, Rockhold told GSP to back out of his fight with Michael Bisping, so that Rockhold may step in.

Main Event:

Luke Rockhold def. David Branch by TKO at 4:05 of round 2: Middleweight

David Branch took it right to the UFC’s former middleweight champion right out of the gate, letting his hands fly and landing regularly. After an assaulting combo, Branch puts Rockhold on his back, albeit briefly. Rockhold would realize a takedown of his own, to finish the round on top. The second stanza saw an aggressive Branch early on, and Rockhold was quick to look to grapple. After pinning his opponent up against the cage, Rockhold achieved a takedown, and beautifully transitioned into full mount, causing Branch to expose his back. Once in control of the back, Rockhold was relentless with his onslaught, and continued to pepper away on Branch until the referee had seen enough.