“They all doubted me and said I couldn’t do it. Look at me now! Pound-for-pound! Headshot! Dead!” – these words were emphatically spoken by Leon Edwards after he knocked Kamaru Usman out in a come-from-behind victory at UFC 278, to become the welterweight champion. He then went on to successfully defend his title against Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. But then he lost to Belal Muhammad, who snatched his title away by shutting ‘Rocky’ down and beating him from pillar to post. Since the loss, there’s been radio silence from the Jamaican-English former welterweight champion.

Now Leon Edwards is set to face the other man Belal Muhammad beat on the way to meeting him at UFC 278—none other than Sean Brady. While Edwards is silently (hopefully) putting in the work for his UFC London bout on March 22nd, Sean Brady is making bold statements. Despite being only a year younger than the former welterweight champion, Brady thinks he can make easy work of his Jamaican counterpart. TNT Sports took to their Instagram account to share the clip of their interview. During the conversation, the American fighter made it clear that he was looking for a submission victory.

Sean Brady is taking a cue from the fact that Leon Edwards struggled against Belal Muhammad’s relentless pressure and grappling exchanges in that fight. The 32-year-old said, “I think I’m going to choke out Leon Edwards in the O2 arena. I’d say second round or third round. If I had to give a prediction.”  

The former champion has never been submitted in his career so far but the American fighter feels he can do the unthinkable. He further added, “But I’m very confident in my striking. I’m very confident in my ground and pound, but I would like to be the first—Leon’s never been finished—I’m a submission guy; I would love to get my arms around that neck of his, and make him tap out in front of his home crowd.” 

The fight promises to be a perfect match-up between two different fighting styles. Edwards is one of the most elite strikers in the division which he has proved time and again with his performances. His opponent, the American welterweight has a takedown accuracy of 52% and averages 3.49 takedown attempts per 15 minutes which could prove to be a problem for ‘Rocky’. But the former champion isn’t quite worried about all such claims. Rather he is confident of winning his match and has his eyes set on the title next.

Leon Edwards wants a title shot after getting past the challenge of Sean Brady

Since his defeat to Muhammad, Leon Edwards has been vocal about one thing—he wants redemption. Losing the welterweight title stung, not just because of the belt slipping from his grasp, but because he doesn’t believe the fight truly showcased his skill level. In a video on his YouTube channel, Edwards doubled down on that stance, refusing to accept that ‘Remember the Name’ was simply the better fighter that night.

During the video, he said, “I’d love to run it back with Belal, you know. I feel like it’s difficult to say he wins.” The former champion also added, “I truly believe I’m the better fighter between me and him. I’ll go out there and prove it again.” 

Before Edwards can think about redemption, he has a tough test ahead in London. Standing in his way is Sean Brady, a man with a relentless grappling arsenal who has only lost once in his 18-fight career. Edwards knows this isn’t a fight he can take lightly and if he wants another shot at the title, he’ll have to get past a dangerous opponent first. But just like most, fights the 33-year-old is confident and feels he can get past the challenge of the American fighter in front of his home crowd.

Edwards said, “But now I’m focusing on Sean. I’m focusing on Sean Brady right now. I’ll go out there in London, get rid of him. Once I get rid of him, then the title shot is next for me.”  Who do you think will between the two fighters? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.