Sean Brady questions Leon Edwards' history vs. grapplers before UFC Fight Night 255
Sean Brady doesn’t think Leon Edwards’ history with grappling-based opponents is as impressive at it might look on paper going into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 255 headliner.
Former welterweight champion Edwards (21-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) returns for the first time since losing the belt to Belal Muhammad in August when he takes on Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in a five-round main event at The O2 in London (ESPN+).
Coming into the matchup, Edwards’ recent run of opponents has included Muhammad, Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman twice. On paper, he is 3-1 in those fights and claims the lone outlier against Muhammad at UFC 304 was a product of injury and the early morning fight time. When Brady examines those bouts closer, however, he is far from impressed and thinks any confidence “Rocky” might have against styles that even somewhat resemble his, would be misplaced.
“You can’t prepare for something you’ve never felt before,” Brady told MMA Junkie. “That’s where guys get surprised. They see me like, ‘Oh, he looks strong.’ But until you feel me and you feel my grip and my squeeze and my pressure that I put on you is going to be different. Three out of four of those fights: He lost to Belal, I thought he lost the third fight against Kamaru, and he was losing to Kamaru (in the second fight) until he landed the head kick. And the fight with Colby was horrible. He talks about how he’s always fighting grapplers, but he doesn’t do great against them, either. So it’s not the smartest thing to say.”
Ahead of fight night, the majority of Edwards’ pre-fight interviews have revolved around the loss to Muhammad, what went wrong and what it’ll take to position himself for a trilogy. Brady has seemed like an afterthought in questions directed toward the former champ, and although that might be perceived as a lack of respect for the task at hand, Brady isn’t bothered.
“He’s always talking about Belal,” Brady said. “He definitely doesn’t like him, but he doesn’t like him because Belal rag dolled him for 25 minutes. He can be focused on whoever he wants to be focused on, because I’m completely focused on him and smashing him Saturday night. He can think about whoever he wants to think about.”
Brady, 32, had the chance to square up with Edwards, 33, for the first time Tuesday outside of the host venue in England. He said it was a brief encounter, but one he enjoyed because he got to see his opponent in-person.
“It was cool,” Brady said. “Leon’s tall, skinny. He’s a tall guy. It was literally four seconds of us facing off. It was the quickest interaction I think I’ve ever had in my life. So can’t take much from that. But I got to see him for the first time. Listen, I have nothing but respect for Leon. That’s how I am with all these guys. It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.”
To this point in his career, Edwards, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, has never been stopped inside the distance with strikes or a submission. It would be the biggest statement of all for No. 7-ranked Brady to be the first, but if it happens, he said he won’t beg for a title shot.
Brady thinks he’s on the verge of what will be just one of many signature wins in his career, and he knows if he keeps piling those up, the belt will end up around his waist.
“If you have a neck, I can choke you out. Leon’s got a neck, and I can choke him out for sure,” Brady said. “Obviously I want to go out there and finish Leon. I’m not worried about getting a title shot next. I’ll take it one fight at a time and Leon’s next. Whether I have to fight one or two more times, or if I get a title shot after this, so be it. I’m just taking it one fight at a time. I want to finish Leon because I know I can finish anybody in the world.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.