Upset at UFC fight night: Sean Brady forces former champ Leon Edwards to tap out

LONDON – Sean Brady silenced the partisan crowd in London by defeating former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards at 1min 39sec in round 4 (submission, guillotine choke) at UFC Fight Night on March 22.

Brady (18-1) was overcome with emotion as he accepted the fight with Edwards (then 22-4, 1 NC) on Feb 19, according to MMAFighting.com, which he said on March 22 was a special day in his life.

“I literally took this fight the day I got out of the hospital with my wife with our newborn baby,” the 32-year-old American said following his victory over the 33-year-old Briton at the O2 Arena in London.

“I knew this was a fight (where) I could do that (kind of performance) in. I can do that against anybody in the (welterweight) division.

I just showed that against one of the former most prestigious champions as of recently.

“So, yeah, I belong in the top three for sure.

“(UFC president) Dana (White) gave me a wonderful opportunity to come out here. I love the UK fans, sorry I had to do that to your boy but lots of respect.”

With Belal Muhammad (24-3) set to defend his welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena (17-2) in May at UFC 315, Brady, a winner of three straight, did not specify a preference regarding a possible outcome and is open to whatever direction White and chief business officer Hunter Campbell, offer Brady next.

Edwards has now lost two in a row dating to July 2024, as he previously held the UFC welterweight title for the better part of three years running. He was outclassed in nearly every facet of the sport.

Before the submission loss, the Birmingham fighter was compromised on the feet with immense volume by the Philadelphia native, who outstruck Edwards by a wide margin in the first three rounds of the fight per the broadcast – 23-13 (round one), 38-0 (round two), 24-3 (round three).

The co-main event saw No. 6-ranked Carlos Ulberg defeat former UFC light heavyweight champion and No. 4-ranked Jan Blachowicz by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.

The win for Ulberg (13-1) marked his eighth UFC triumph in a row, while Blachowicz (29-11-1) has been defeated twice in a row and in three of his last five outings since losing his then-championship nearly four years ago.

Other results included Kevin Holland (27-13-1) defeating long-time promotional veteran Gunnar Nelson (19-6-1) by unanimous decision at welterweight – 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, giving Holland his first win in nine months following a two-fight losing skid. Nelson, who has been in the UFC since 2012, is just 2-3 in his last five fights.

In women’s strawweight action, Molly McCann (14-8) lost to short-notice replacement Alexia Thainara (12-1), which made McCann announce her retirement from MMA after four losses in five UFC outings.

Earlier on the main card, lightweight Chris Duncan (13-2) submitted Jordan Vucenic (13-4), needing 3:42 of round 2 to secure a guillotine choke and improve his UFC record to 4-1 since March 2023.

Opening the main card despite a delayed start, featherweight Nathaniel Wood (21-6) got the O2 Arena in a frenzy with a dominant unanimous decision win 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 against Morgan Charriere (20-11-1).

The UFC remains on the road on March 29 as it travels to Mexico City, headlined by a flyweight main event between former champion Brandon Moreno (22-8-2) and one-time title challenger Steve Erceg (12-3). REUTERS