Leon Edwards will look to get himself back into title contention at UFC London on Saturday night.
The former welterweight champion hasn’t fought since losing his belt to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 last July.
Jack Della Madellana was originally supposed to be his UFC London opponent, but the Aussie fan favorite has been called up for Muhammad’s first title defense, so Sean Brady is the man ‘Rocky’ will have to beat to get back on track at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.
Will Leon Edwards return to winning ways this weekend? Let’s see what the Bloody Elbow staff think.
Leon Edwards vs Sean Brady predicted by Bloody Elbow
Jordan Ellis: “I do like Sean Brady, he’s got the skills to cause Leon Edwards problems. However, I just can’t get over the fact he was so badly battered on the feet by Belal Muhammad. In my mind, there’s just no way he manages to go five rounds with ‘Rocky’.
LEON EDWARDS BY KO
Tom Llewellyn: “Given how easily Belal Muhammad was able to dominate Leon Edwards in the grappling exchanges at UFC 304 as well as Sean Brady’s own slick ground skills, I’m resigning myself to a second-round submission win for the Philadelphia-native.”
SEAN BRADY BY SUBMISSION
Jamie Theodosi: “Leon Edwards is coming into this main event with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Although it is unfortunate that he doesn’t get his striker vs striker matchup that he has been desiring for some years now, he has the chance to silence the doubters from his last fight. It’s fair to say he’s a far better striker than Sean Brady and this fight all leans on whether he is able to keep Brady off him to be able to let his striking go. I think Leon will struggle for moments in this fight but ultimately do enough to pick up the win.”
LEON EDWARDS BY DECISION
James Sweetnam: “While Brady has certainly proved he has what it takes to dine at the top table, having beaten Gilbert Burns and Kelvin Gastelum, I believe he’s in for a shock on Saturday night, with the Jamaican-born striker putting on a clinic to win a decision.”
LEON EDWARDS BY DECISION
Curtis Calhoun: “Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady is a fun stylistic matchup, for multiple reasons. The obvious point is the striker vs. grappler narrative, but don’t be surprised if Brady challenges Edwards on the feet with his jab and counter right hand. Edwards enters UFC London with a lot of pressure coming off a loss, although he still showed late grit and promise in his last fight against Belal Muhammad. Expect Edwards to work to the body early and often with front kicks, wearing Brady down in the later rounds and putting on another clinical performance with his striking.”
LEON EDWARDS BY DECISION
Kyle Dimond: “Whilst I do think that Belal Muhammad deserves a lot of credit, I don’t think that Leon Edwards looked himself at UFC 304. The big question is whether that will have hurt his confidence or released some pressure. I’m siding with the latter in his return against Sean Brady who is a top opponent but I’m just not sure that he’s on the same level as Leon right now. Last time he fought in London, Leon put on one of his best performances against Kamaru Usman and I think we might get something similar here even if I do expect Brady to have some success across five rounds.”
LEON EDWARDS BY DECISION
Chris De Santiago: “Leon Edwards hasn’t lost a non-title fight in nearly 10 years and at 33, I don’t see him losing another one against Sean Brady. While Muhammad most certainly had his way with Edwards at UFC 304, Edwards did have moments of clarity fighting at 5am with takedowns of his own and a near-finish in round five. Brady poses an interesting challenge but not one Edwards hasn’t seen before stylistically. Edwards by TKO stoppage in the first three rounds.”
LEON EDWARDS BY KO