David Branch released by UFC following USADA suspension announcement

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesDavid Branch has not had a good week. After accepting a two-year suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency following a positive drug test, his home promotion has released him from his contract.

Branch (22-6) has had two tenures in the UFC, going 4-5 overall and 2-3 in this last stretch. He came over from World Series of Fighting (now called PFL) where he was a champion at both middleweight and light heavyweight. He did pick up a nice TKO win over 205-pound title challenger Thiago Santos, but was stopped in his last two bouts in the promotion. He had been scheduled to fight Andrew Sanchez at UFC Vancouver last weekend, but…