11 Fights Greenlit for UFC Live 3

A welterweight showdown between the resurgent Diego Sanchez and Danish striker Martin Kampmann will headline the main card, which will be broadcast live on the Versus network. Though 11 contests are now on the lineup, the event was set to feature a dozen fights before Brazilian welterweight Paulo Thiago withdrew from his fight with Johny Hendricks due to injury. The promotion has not yet announced a replacement for Thiago, and a source close to the matchup told Sherdog.com the entire bout is in jeopardy.

A Renzo Gracie product, Branch is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The 28-year-old comes off back-to-back victories inside the Octagon and has only tasted defeat once in his career. After earning a perfect 2-0 record inside Bellator Fighting Championships, Branch made his UFC debut at UFC 116 last year. He was welcomed rudely to the promotion, however, as Gerald Harris knocked him cold with a vicious slam. The North Carolina native rebounded with unanimous decision victories over Tomasz Drwal and Rich Attonito.

Palhares is another submission ace and BJJ black belt. “Toquinho” is best known for his stocky frame and his affinity for leg locks. Only beaten three times as a professional, Palhares rattled off victories over Jeremy Horn, Lucio Linhares and the aforementioned Drwal before falling to Nate Marquardt in the headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 22. After attempting one of his patented leg locks early in the fight, Palhares complained to the referee that Marquardt had greased his legs after a slippery escape by the Grudge Training Center product. Marquardt seized the opportunity and put away the Brazilian with a massive right hand. The American was cleared of any wrongdoing after the fight, and Palhares apologized for the accusation.

UFC Live 3 will also feature a pair of middleweight scraps, as Alessio Sakara meets Rafael Natal and C.B. Dollaway squares off with Mark Munoz. Additionally, former WEC bantamweight king Brian Bowles will lock horns with Greg Jackson product Damacio Page.

Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann
C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz
Alessio Sakara vs. Rafael Natal
Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera
Shane Roller vs. Thiago Tavares
Erik Koch vs. Cub Swanson
Steve Cantwell vs. Cyrille Diabate
Rob Kimmons vs. Dongi Yang
Igor Pokrajac vs. Todd Brown
Dave Branch vs. Rousimar Palhares