World Series of Fighting 30: Branch vs. Starks was a
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event held on at the
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and ro ...
in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
.
Background
The event was headlined by a WSOF Middleweight Championship fight between champion
David Branch and
Clifford Starks
Clifford Bernard Starks (born April 25, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division for the World Series of Fighting. A professional competitor since 2009, he has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, ...
. The co-headliner was a fight between
Jon Fitch
Jonathan Parker Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and most recently for ...
and João Zeferino for the vacant WSOF Welterweight Championship. After
Rousimar Palhares
Rousimar Christian Palhares (;, born February 20, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, World Series of Fighting, and KSW. His nickname ''Toquinho'' (), Portuguese f ...
was stripped of the title for holding the submission too long in the fight against
Jake Shields
Jake Sequoyah Shields (born January 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welterweight ...
, Fitch and Shields were originally expected to fight for the vacant title, but Shields pulled out of the fight, citing an disagreement over his contract.
Results
See also
*
List of WSOF events
This is a list of events held and scheduled by the Professional Fighters League, a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. This list also includes events by the league's predecessor, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF).
Schedu ...
*
List of WSOF champions
Professional Fighters League (formerly the World Series of Fighting, or "WSOF") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. As well as championship history for their Internation ...
References
{{World Series of Fighting Events
World Series of Fighting events
2016 in mixed martial arts
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas)
2016 in sports in Nevada