UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady extended his professional record to 17-1 last night with an impressive decision win over veteran Gilbert Burns: with the surging American quick to take aim at two of the division’s best fighters.
Now with two consecutive wins back under his belt, Sean Brady will likely see himself rise to the #6 spot in the UFC welterweight rankings come Tuesday’s update – and he knows exactly who’d make the perfect dance partners as he targets one of two enormous opponents next.

Sean Brady sees off veteran Gilbert Burns at UFC Fight Night 242
In the main event of UFC Vegas 97, UFC Fight Night 242, American Sean Brady dominated fan favorite Gilbert Burns as he showcased some much-improved striking skills to out-point the Brazilian in a victory that never really looked in doubt.
“F***, Gilbert’s a tough mother***** but I knew that coming into this,” an exhausted Brady told Michael Bisping after the score totals were announced: 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46.
“I knew I was going to train so hard for this fight and five-fives in the gym is a lot different to five-fives here [in the octagon] but I just stayed mentally and physically focused… I’m living my dreams, this is amazing.”
According to the UFC stats, Brady out-struck Burns 130/217 to 47/97 as he also racked up some 10 minutes of control time to the Brazilian’s three – an outstanding performance, but what’s next for the now 17-1 contender?
Sean Brady calls out both Ian Machado Garry and Colby Covington after win
Following his decision victory over Burns, Sean Brady would take aim at two of the welterweight divisions’ best and most controversial stars, the brash Ian Machado Garry and the chaotic Colby Covington.
“Ian thinks that he’s f***** God’s gift to Earth and he’s not, I feel like everyone in the sport feels the same way,” he told reporters at the post-fight press conference.
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“I would like to fight Ian, he’s an up-and-comer, I’m going to be here for a long time, he’s undefeated and got some hype… I’m going to be ranked ahead of him with that number six spot so maybe I’ll let him fight me.
“I mean I’ll fight him, [or] I’ll fight Colby – I think Colby is the easiest matchup in the division, I’ll piece him up on the feet and ragdoll him.”
Brady doubled down on his callouts when speaking on the ESPN MMA post-show, not only stating that Garry looked dreadful in his last fight, but that he’d “murder” Covington if given the chance.
“He’s [Garry] undefeated and got a lot of hype, I thought he looked horrible against MVP… He just talks so much s*** and I’m not a fan so I want to fight him.
“I’ll fight Colby in a heartbeat, UFC please – give me Colby and I will murder him… That guy shouldn’t even be ranked.”
Last night was Brady’s first fight since December 2023 and the 17-1 American is hoping not to have a similarly long layoff this time around- especially since he and his wife are expecting in early 2025.
“February 13th [2025] is our due date so I’m fighting again before I have my daughter – stack some checks, spend some time with my daughter and wife… I want to fight one more time before then – December 14th could be a possibility or early in January.”
Should Brady best either Garry or Covington next, although it’ll be a battle in itself to get either man to sign on the dotted line, he’ll likely be calling for a rematch with champion Belal Muhammad.
“I personally like Belal, I don’t like the hate that Belal’s always gotten – I think he deserves to be where he’s at, but that night I beat myself.
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“I was having dreams that entire week that I was going to lose the fight and [maybe] because I was undefeated, my entire identity was wrapped into me being this undefeated fighter… We’re going to fight again.”
With the win over Burns, Brady is now 7-1 in the UFC with that singular defeat coming at the hands of the current welterweight champion.