The UFC makes its annual stop in London, England on Saturday, setting up shop in the O2 Arena for UFC London: Edwards vs. Brady.
It was not the original main event announced, as Leon Edwards, the former UFC welterweight champ and longtime British star, had originally been booked opposite Jack Della Maddalena. However, thanks to Shavkat Rakhmonov being on the shelf, JDM’s services were required elsewhere — mainly in the main event of UFC 315, where he will challenge Belal Muhammad for welterweight gold.
That opened the door for Brady, the #5-ranked welterweight, to step in against former champ “Rocky” Edwards. While Rakhmonov was still ahead in terms of the title picture, the winner of Edwards vs. Brady would certainly be in a good position for a future title shot.
The same might be true of the UFC London co-main event between former light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz and rising City Kickboxing star Carlos Ulberg. Especially were the latter to come out on top. While the aging Blachowicz was coming off an extended layoff, Ulberg entered Saturday’s co-headliner on a seven-fight win streak, an impressive feat in the 205lb division. A win over the former champ might put him on the cusp of challenging for gold, though the expected rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira would no doubt come first.
Our picks are in! Check below to see how we feel UFC London plays out.
| Writer / Fight | Wood vs. Charrière | Vucenic vs. Duncan | McCann vs. Thainara | Nelson vs. Holland | Blachowicz vs. Ulberg | Edwards vs. Brady |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Behunin (30-15) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Eddie Law (29-16) | | | | |  | |
| Jay Anderson (27-18) |  |  |  | | |  |
| Patrick McCorry (27-18) | | | |  | | |
| Mathis Desjardins (26-19) | | | | | | |
| Brett Cagle (26-19) | | | | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (22-17) | | | | | | |
It’s a near-landslide in the main event, as despite Sean Brady wading into enemy territory on relatively short notice, our crew sees him coming out ahead of Leon Edwards. Newcomer Alexia Thainara is a solid favorite to defeat Molly McCann, while Carlos Ulberg also has the edge over Jan Blachowicz.
