With Jack Della Maddalena shifted to UFC 315 to take on welterweight champ Belal Muhammad, it was #5-ranked Sean Brady stepping in to headline UFC London against former champ Leon Edwards on Saturday.
A key fight for the 170lb division that might just produce a title challenger (after JDM and Shavkat Rakhmonov, anyway), Edwards and Brady at the O2 Arena closed out a night that saw zero finishes on the feet, and just three submissions prior to the main event — with the remaining nine contests going the distance.
The card had also seen the retirement of Liverpool staple Molly McCann, following a submission loss at the hands of newcomer Alexia Thairara.
An American facing a Brit on English soil with the fans behind him, Brady looked to press the action early, pushing forward and initiating the exchanges. The pair traded in close, clinching up at times, where knees became a threat – though Edwards was able to maintain some wrist control and prevent Brady from doing any damage. That wrist control would be key more than once, with Edwards landing a knee in another clinch near the midway mark. Another clinch, and another knee, followed by the former champ. Brady, however, ended the round on top after the pair hit the mat in the final seconds.
Round two opened with Sean Brady blasting into a double-leg takedown, though Edwards would be able to stay upright in close against the cage. That didn’t last, with Brady then dragging Edwards down; Brady then transitioned to the top with a sweep, then to the back, methodically securing one hook, then another. Hooks soon became a body triangle, with a full three minutes still on the clock.
After a minute, Edwards briefly escaped the body triangle and got to a knee, eliciting a huge cheer from the London crowd. Their jubilation was short lived, however, as Brady reestablished top control, and wound up in half guard threatening with submissions until Edwards rolled and gave up his back. Then came the ground n’ pound as Leon Edwards writhed and squirmed and turned. He escaped the round, but it could not have gone better for Sean Brady, short of a finish or knockdown.
Things went from bad to worse for Leon Edwards in round three, as he was quickly reversed off his own takedown attempt, with Sean Brady in mount just 90 seconds in. Brady tied up an arm and unleashed numerous unanswered punches. Edwards survived, got to a knee, then tried to post up, only for Brady to be all over him. As the round progressed Brady would threatened with a rear-naked choke after taking the back, though again, Edwards somehow managed to survive to the horn.
Round four found Leon Edwards badly in need of a course correction. That correction looked out of reach almost immediately when Brady easily took the former welterweight champ down, planting him on his back, head pointed away from the fence. With Brady on top in half guard, he locked up a mounted guillotine, and before long, Edwards was forced to tap! Like that, #5 had defeated #1, and Sean Brady had what was unquestionably the biggest win of his career— in a fight he wasn’t even scheduled for originally.
Official Result: Sean Brady def. Leon Edwards by submission (guillotine choke), Round 4, 1:39
