Tomorrow in the main event of UFC London, we are going to see a big time matchup in the welterweight division with potential title implications. Former champion Leon Edwards (22-4, 1 NC) returns as he takes on top contender Sean Brady (17-1).
Originally, Edwards was supposed to face Jack Della Maddalena tomorrow. However, after Shavkat Rakhmonov was not able to fight Belal Muhammad in May for the title, JDM was moved to the title fight and Edwards was given this fight with Sean Brady. A completely different stylistic matchup for the former champion.
Starting with Brady, entering 2022, he was arguably the most hyped prospect in the welterweight division. He was 15-0 but then he ran into Belal Muhammad who dominated him in their fight. Brady has bounced back well over the past couple of years with wins over former title challengers Kelvin Gastelum and Gilbert Burns.
Leon Edwards shocked the world in 2022 when he became UFC welterweight champion by knocking out Kamaru Usman in the fifth round of their title fight where he was trailing on all the cards. They ran it back and Edwards solidified himself with a decision win.
Following that, he defended against Colby Covington before losing the title in London last July to Belal Muhammad. Edwards has blamed that loss on the time and tomorrow he’ll fight in prime London time opposed to the middle of the night.
UFC London Prediction
On paper, this is a fight that Leon Edwards should win. I truly believe that he is one of the elite fighters in the world and while I think Sean Brady is a great fighter, I’m not convinced he’s on that championship level. This is the type of fight that’ll show me if he’s on that level or not.
A couple of things do go against the former champion at UFC London. For Edwards, he was preparing for a striker and now he’s getting one of the best wrestlers in the division. He also confirmed that he had staff infection leading up to the fight which could’ve impacted his training. Those things don’t bode well when you have an opponent like Sean Brady.
We’ve seen Sean Brady have cardio issues and he hasn’t had the longest camp leading up to UFC London and that can hurt him. He also is light years behind Edwards in terms of striking so this fight is going to come down to his takedowns.
Leon Edwards needs to be aggressive tomorrow night and he needs to fight. If he lets Brady just grapple and push him against the fence, it could be a long night. That said, I think Leon Edwards rights the ship tomorrow. I think in the middle rounds he’ll find a big shot and it’ll ultimately lead to him finishing a tired Sean Brady.
Prediction: Leon Edwards by TKO