The UFC has finalized a fun matchup in the welterweight division. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report this evening that the promotion has finalized a battle between ranked welterweights Michael Chiesa (17-5) and Sean Brady (14-0).
The fight will take place at a Fight Night on November 20th. This is a huge fight for Brady who will look to stay undefeated. Brady made his UFC debut back in 2019 when he took on former Ultimate Fighter winner Court McGee. That night, Brady picked up a decision win.
After that, Brady earned another decision win before finishing back-to-back fights. In his last fight, Brady took on Jake Matthews back in March at UFC 259. Brady defeated Matthews by third round arm-triangle choke to remain unbeaten.
Now, Brady is going to be getting a huge step up in competition. The UFC had been trying to book Brady against Kevin Lee. In fact, Brady was supposed to fight Kevin Lee last weekend, but Brady had to pull out of the fight. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the UFC‘s giving him an even bigger fight.
Bounce back UFC opportunity for Chiesa
The Maverick will be looking to bounce back in this fight with Sean Brady. The last time we saw Chiesa was just a few weeks ago at UFC 265. That night, Chiesa took on Vicente Luque in a huge fight for the division.
The winner of that fight was set to jump right into the title picture. Entering UFC 265, Chiesa was a perfect 4-0 in the welterweight division. A win over Luque might’ve earned Chiesa a title shot.
In the fight, Chiesa had his opportunities to win. In fact, he had Luque’s back at one point. However, Luque survived and ended up forcing a scramble. During the scramble, Chiesa made a vital mistake and left his neck out there.
In doing so, Luque locked up a choke and got the win. The UFC is giving Chiesa a step back in competition, but it’s a good reset fight. Either Chiesa resumes his climb to the top or Sean Brady proves he belongs in the discussion with the division’s elites.