LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 21: (L-R) Opponents Leon Edwards of Jamaica and Sean Brady face off during … More
Leon Edwards is back, but his time as a title contender might be over.
Edwards was dominated and submitted in the fourth round by Sean Brady in a one-sided main event of a London crowd that was short on action.
There were no KOs the entire night, but there were four submissions. Here is a look at the fourth and final one from Brady.
Brady used blistering pressure, powerful and skilled takedowns and top position to completely nullifying anything Edwards was trying to accomplish. Edwards hadn’t fought since he lost his title to Belal Muhammad in July 2024.
With Casey employing a very similar gameplan en route to the win, you have to wonder if this will be the blueprint for any opponent capable of pushing a wrestling-heavy approach at the former champion.
In the co-main event and a wildly boring fight on a night with a ton of snoozers, Carlos Ulberg out leg-kicked Jan Blachowicz to win a unanimous decision. Both men were very cautious the entire fight, but the judges gave Ulberg the edge in two of the three rounds.
Quite honestly, Ulberg could leap to No. 3 in the rankings, though with his performance, there is no guarantee he’ll rise above No. 5.
Main Card
- Welterweight Bout: Sean Brady def. Leon Edwards via fourth-roundsubmission (guillotine)
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Carlos Ulberg def. Jan Błachowicz via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
- Welterweight Bout: Kevin Holland def. Gunnar Nelson via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
- Women’s Strawweight Bout: Alexia Thainara def. Molly McCann via submission (rear-naked choke)
Alexia Thainara was a short-notice replacement, but she didn’t look like it. Thainara easily scored the submission win over Molly McCann. The latter called it a career after the loss.
- Lightweight Bout: Chris Duncan def. Jordan Vucenic via second-round submission (Guillotine)
Duncan gets the submission win over Vucenic in the second round of their fight.
- Featherweight Bout: Nathaniel Wood def. Morgan Charrière via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
UFC Fight Night London Preliminary Card
- Lightweight Bout: Chris Padilla def. Jai Herbert via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
- Flyweight Bout: Lone’er Kavanagh def. Felipe dos Santos via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
- Heavyweight Bout: Marcin Tybura def. Mick Parkin via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
- Middleweight Bout: Christian Leroy Duncan def. Andre Pulyaev via unanimous decision (30-27×2, 30-26)
- Women’s Strawweight Bout: Shauna Bannon def. Puja Tomar via second-round submission
Bannon ate a head kick that dropped her and put the Irish fighter on the brink of losing by KO. However, she showed grit and toughness to regain her wherewithal. While still grounded, Bannon transitioned to an armbar to secure the submission win.
- Bantamweight Bout: Caolan Loughran def. Nathan Fletcher via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
- Lightweight Bout: Kaue Fernandes def. Guram Kutateladze via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
The former UFC welterweight champion, current No. 1 contender, and No. 12 fighter in the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings returns to the Octagon on Saturday in London.
It’ll be a home game for Edwards at the O2 Arena, where he will face No. 5 Sean Brady in the main event of UFC Fight Night London. I have all the results and highlights of every finish as they happen below.
3 Things to Watch at UFC Fight Night London
Leon Edwards Could Pass GSP
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Leon Edwards of Jamaica warms up prior to his fight during the UFC … More
If Edwards-Brady goes the distance (the fight is scheduled for five rounds), the former will pass Georges St-Pierre for second-most total fight time in the UFC’s welterweight division.
Edwards would trail only Neil Magny in that department amongst welterweights.
Gunnar Nelson Looking to Add to His UFC Records
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 21: Gunnar Nelson of Iceland poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night … More
Gunnar Nelson turned out to be exactly what Kevin Holland needed to rebound from the worst stretch of his career. While Holland didn’t get the finish–though he dropped Nelson with a huge right hand at the end of the first frame–he did take the unanimous decision win to get back on the winning track.
Fighters Making Their Main Roster Debuts
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 21: Alexia Thainara of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night … More
Two fighters on the card are making their debuts after qualifying for the main roster on the most recent season of Dana White’s Contender Series. Alexia Thainara, 27, is from Brazil.
She scored a unanimous decision win over Rose Conceicao in September 2024 to earn her contract. Thainara will have to get it done in hostile territory as she faces the homestanding Molly McCann.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 21: Andrey Pulyaev of Russia poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night … More
Russia’s Andrey Pulyaev, 27, looked like a man completely out of his depth against Christian Leroy Duncan. It appeared as though Pulyaev was hellbent on making this fight as boring as possible.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 22: (R-L) Christian Leroy Duncan of England elbows Andrey Pulyaev of Russia … More
Pulyaev’s lack of activity had me wondering if he has what it takes to succeed in the UFC against any opponent, let alone one as talented as CLD.
As the events of the day affect these projections, I’ll replace the text with the relevant reactions. Be on the lookout for more UFC Fight Night London coverage through the weekend.
