England’s Leon Edwards remains on the card at UFC London next month, but he has a new opponent in the Fight Night’s main event.
Originally scheduled opposite Jack Della Maddalena, Edwards (22-4, 1NC) will now face Sean Brady (17-1) at the O2 Arena on March 22, 2025. UFC CEO and President Dana White announced the news on Wednesday via Instagram Live, with the switch the result of Maddalena being shifted to the UFC 315 main event opposite Belal Muhammad.
UFC officials later confirmed the news.
A former welterweight champion looking to rebound from his title loss against Muhammad, Edwards is ranked #1 in the UFC’s 170lb division. Prior to losing gold, “Rocky” had won a dozen fights under the UFC banner, with a No Contest against Muhammad in their first fight mixed in. Among the names Edwards got the better of on that highly impressive streak were Cowboy Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, Rafael dos Anjos, Kamaru Usman, and Colby Covington.
Edwards defeated Usman to win the UFC’s welterweight championship in 2022 care of a come-from-behind, fifth round head kick. He then defended in an immediate rematch, as well as in his fight with Covington at UFC 296 in December 2023.
#5-ranked Sean Brady is coming off back-to-back wins over Gilbert Burns and Kelvin Gastelum. His toughest opponent in recent years has been activity, or lack thereof. Brady has fought just once per year the last three years running.
This year’s UFC London takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England on March 22, 2025. The fight card, as reported, breaks down as follows:
- Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady
- Jan Błachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Gunnar Nelson vs. Kevin Holland
- Molly McCann vs. Istela Nunes
- Jordan Vucenic vs. Chris Duncan
- Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan Charrière
- Jai Herbert vs. Chris Padilla
- Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Felipe dos Santos
- Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin
- Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Andrey Pulyaev
- Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar
- Nathan Fletcher vs. Caolán Loughran
