Sean Brady’s stepping into the UFC Fight Night 255 main event this Saturday with a chip on his shoulder, and he’s not buying the hype around Leon Edwards’ track record against grapplers. Edwards (21-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC), the former welterweight champ, is back in action for the first time since dropping his belt to Belal Muhammad in August. He’s facing Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in a five-round headliner at The O2 in London, streaming on ESPN+, and while Edwards might look solid on paper, Brady’s digging deeper—and he’s not impressed.
Edwards has been tangling with big-name grapplers lately—Muhammad, Colby Covington, and Kamaru Usman twice—and he’s got a 3-1 record to show for it. He’s quick to chalk up that lone loss to Muhammad at UFC 304 to an injury and a brutal 5 a.m. fight time, but Brady’s calling BS on the narrative that “Rocky” owns guys like him. “You can’t prepare for something you’ve never felt before,” Brady told MMA Junkie. “That’s where guys get surprised. They see me like, ‘Oh, he looks strong.’ But until you feel me and you feel my grip and my squeeze and my pressure that I put on you is going to be different. Three out of four of those fights: He lost to Belal, I thought he lost the third fight against Kamaru, and he was losing to Kamaru (in the second fight) until he landed the head kick. And the fight with Colby was horrible. He talks about how he’s always fighting grapplers, but he doesn’t do great against them, either. So it’s not the smartest thing to say.” Brady’s point? Edwards might’ve survived those wars, but he wasn’t exactly dominating—and Brady’s bringing a whole new level of squeeze to the table.
Edwards’ Mind Games vs. Brady’s Focus
Edwards can’t stop talking about Muhammad—every interview circles back to that loss, what went wrong, and how he’s gunning for a trilogy. Brady’s barely a blip on his radar, which could look like a diss, but the 32-year-old Philly native isn’t sweating it. “He’s always talking about Belal,” Brady said. “He definitely doesn’t like him, but he doesn’t like him because Belal rag dolled him for 25 minutes. He can be focused on whoever he wants to be focused on, because I’m completely focused on him and smashing him Saturday night. He can think about whoever he wants to think about.” Brady’s keeping his eyes locked on the prize—Edwards—and he’s not fazed by the ex-champ’s obsession with his last L.
The two finally squared off Tuesday outside The O2, and Brady got his first real look at the 33-year-old Brit. “It was cool,” Brady said. “Leon’s tall, skinny. He’s a tall guy. It was literally four seconds of us facing off. It was the quickest interaction I think I’ve ever had in my life. So can’t take much from that. But I got to see him for the first time. Listen, I have nothing but respect for Leon. That’s how I am with all these guys. It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.” Short and sweet, but Brady’s vibe was clear—he’s here to work, not to beef. Edwards, ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, has never been finished by strikes or submission in his career. For No. 7-ranked Brady, breaking that streak would be a monster statement, but he’s not chasing clout or a title shot right off the bat.
Brady’s got a quiet confidence—he knows he’s on the cusp of something big, and he’s playing the long game. “If you have a neck, I can choke you out. Leon’s got a neck, and I can choke him out for sure,” Brady said. “Obviously I want to go out there and finish Leon. I’m not worried about getting a title shot next. I’ll take it one fight at a time and Leon’s next. Whether I have to fight one or two more times, or if I get a title shot after this, so be it. I’m just taking it one fight at a time. I want to finish Leon because I know I can finish anybody in the world.” He’s not begging for the belt—he’s just out to stack bodies, starting with Edwards. Win or lose, Brady’s betting on his pressure and his choke game to turn heads Saturday night, and he’s ready to let his fists and grips do the talking.
