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Sean Brady eyes UFC title challenge after submitting Leon Edwards - 'It'll be pretty cool to be ranked No. 1'
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Updated 23/03/2025 at 00:00 GMT
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American welterweight Sean Brady beat former division champion Leon Edwards on Saturday at UFC Fight Night London, as the Briton failed to resist Brady's repeated attempts to force a submission. Speaking in the cage after his win, Brady said that it would be "pretty cool" if he earned a No. 1 ranking, and said he could repeat his victory over any rival at welterweight.
Highlights: Dominant Brady inflicts another defeat on Edwards
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Sean Brady submitted Leon Edwards in a hugely impressive victory at UFC Fight Night London on Saturday, with the American claiming he could beat "anybody in the division".
A decade-long winning streak came to an end for Edwards last year when he lost his welterweight belt to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester.
Jack Della Maddalena had been scheduled to fight Edwards, but dropped out for his own chance to fight Muhammad in May, leading to Brady’s chance to step in.
Brady was coming off the back of two consecutive wins, the latest a victory against Gilbert Burns in September. Ranked No. 5 in the division, a win for Brady - or Edwards - would throw the victor into contention for a title challenge down the line.
Neither man wanted to touch gloves in the final moments before the clash, and after a striking-heavy first round, Edwards spent most of the second holding off a potential submission from a dominant Brady.
He struggled again in the third before the American stopped the Briton early in the fourth with his trademark single-arm guillotine.
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Speaking after the win, Brady said it showed that he was more than big enough for the welterweight division.
He said: "I heard all week, people saying I'm too small for 170. I was 198 when they weighed me in the back, so I'm not too small for welterweight, I'm just short.
"I literally took this fight the day I got out of the hospital with my wife with our newborn baby. I knew that was a fight I could do that in, and I could do it against anybody in the division."
Brady looked forward to seeing the new rankings at the start of the week, as he eyed up a title challenge.
He added: "I just showed that against one of the most prestigious champions of recent [times], I belong in the top three in the division.
"I said all week I wasn't thinking about it, but it'll be pretty cool to be ranked No. 1 Monday or Tuesday.
"Whatever Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell] want from me next, that’s what we’re going to do next."
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Ulberg defeats veteran Blachowicz
Carlos Ulberg beat 42-year-old Polish fighter Jan Blachowicz to stake a claim to a title fight, though whether he gets his wish is far from certain in a competitive division.
However, the New Zealander did his chances no harm as he secured victory by unanimous decision against the former world champion.
Speaking in the Octagon after the win, the 34-year-old said that as he moved onto eight consecutive victories, his division-best winning streak should grant him a match-up against the champion, Magomed Ankalaev, who beat Alex Pereira at UFC 313.
He said that Blachowicz was "a tough opponent".
"Jan is a veteran, so obviously, you've got to be careful. He's on his way out, but he's here to prove a point, so you've got to be careful," he said.
"The longest winning streak in the light heavyweight division, the only thing left for me is a title shot."
Earlier in the evening, British fighter Molly McCann retired after a disappointing first-round defeat against Alexia Thainara.
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Tearful McCann admits she is ‘not good enough’ for UFC
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