Sean Brady Looks Phenomenal in Victory Over Leon Edwards
At UFC London, Sean Brady had a perfect performance. He easily defeated former Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards, ending the bout via submission in the fourth round. Brady has now won three in a row and improved to 18-1 overall (8-1 UFC). Leon Edwards has now lost 2 straight after going nearly 9 years without a defeat. His record slips to 22-5 (1 NC) overall (14-4, 1 NC in UFC).
At the start of the fight, Edwards was very competitive. He looked sharp with his striking and negated Brady’s attempts to work for takedowns in the clinch. However, that did not last. Sean Brady landed effective strikes of his own, with dirty boxing in the clinch and some clean combinations in space. At the end of the round, he finally landed a late takedown. This was a harbinger of an ill omen foreshadowing what was to come for Leon Edwards.
In the second, Brady immediately shot for a takedown, secured it, and held Edwards there for the duration of the round. He landed a steady stream of short punches, hammer fists, and elbows while hunting for submissions.
In Round 3, Edwards landed a couple of hard shots to the head and stuffed Brady’s first takedown attempt. However, he then made the inexplicable choice to shoot for a takedown of his own. It was a disastrous error, as Sean Brady sprawled, ended up on top, and again held Edwards there for the remainder of the round as he slowly racked up punishment.
The fourth round followed the same paragon. Brady landed some punches, secured a takedown, and controlled Leon Edwards on the ground. This time, he was able to sink in a guillotine choke and become the first man to finish Edwards in his 27-fight career.
Brady Out for Vengeance
Sean Brady’s showing at UFC London was colossal. He took a page from Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad’s playbook and once again exploited Leon Edwards’ lack of ability to deal with elite pressure wrestling. Following the win, the student will look to become the master. Sean Brady’s only professional loss came at the hands of Muhammad 3 years ago. One would think that regardless of the outcome of Belal’s next fight, a rematch would be a wonderful choice for Brady’s next booking.
In the octagon after the fight, Michael Bisping suggested that Brady should move to the #1 Contender spot in the rankings. The American seemed to agree but stopped short of calling out the current champion:
“It’s pretty cool knowing I’ll be ranked #1 come Monday. I love all the UK fans, sorry for doing that to your boy, nothing but respect for you guys. Whatever Hunter and Dana want for me next, that’s what we’re gonna do.”
Bisping pressed him further on the issue when Sean Brady joined the analyst’s booth for a further talk after the fight, urging the contender to make his case for a title fight. Brady responded:
“I’m coming. There’s nothing more I have to do than what I just did tonight. When Belal beat me, I wasn’t ready for these moments. Now I’m ready for it. Whatever comes, I’m prepared.”
If his title shot isn’t next, he should certainly be one fight away at most. Shavkat Rakhmonov is the only fighter in the top 5 who could argue a claim to challenge for the belt first. Regardless, Sean Brady is an absolute problem for anyone at 170. We can’t wait to see what’s next for the outstanding contender after this stunning performance at UFC London.
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