Sean Brady is the man welcoming Kelvin Gastelum back to the welterweight division at UFC Austin this Saturday.
The question at this past week’s media day was, which Kelvin Gastelum is going to show up? The one who pushed Israel Adesanya to the limit years ago in an interim title fight, or the one who has at times struggled — including at the scale?
“I prepared for the absolutely best Kelvin. I’m not sure which one’s going to show up, but I’m ready for the best of him,” stated Brady (15-1) on Wednesday. “His first battle is going to be with the scale, which is all of our first battle, but I hope he has a good weight cut so we can get in there and put on a good fight.”
Gastelum successfully made weight Friday morning for UFC Austin, so that’s one less concern. As to whether he’ll know if it’s a good night for Kelvin or a bad one once they’re locked in the cage, “I don’t think it’s going to matter,” Brady stated, “because I’m going to be the best Sean Brady, and I’m not going to be too worried about him. As long as I’m the best me, which I am, it doesn’t matter who’s in front of me, the best or the worst Kelvin. It’s going to be the same result.”
Kelvin Gastelum may have a lot to prove at UFC Austin, but Sean Brady admits that he does as well. Brady is coming off the first loss of his career, in October 2022, and has been out since, unable to get back on the horse due to injury and a serious infection.
So when it comes to game plan, “I’m going to mix it up,” said Brady. “That’s my plan. I think I have a lot to prove. I want to show people how good my striking is, how good my striking defense is, and how good— obviously everyone knows I have good grappling, but i just want to show everybody how good I am everywhere as a fighter.”
Despite the setbacks, however, Brady has found a silver lining.
“All that bad sh*t that happened to me made me mentally and physically stronger.”
Watch the full UFC Austin media day appearance by Sean Brady above.
