MMA
Leon Edwards vs Sean Brady: Brad Pickett gives prediction for UFC London main event
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Brad Pickett is backing Leon Edwards to defeat Sean Brady at UFC London this weekend.
Edwards and Brady will face off in the main event at London's O2 Arena on Saturday, with both men looking to put themselves in contention for the UFC welterweight title. The belt belonged to Edwards for nearly two years until the Briton lost to Belal Muhammad last July, and now the 33-year-old aims to springboard himself back into the title picture.
Standing in Edwards' way is Brady, a 32-year-old American on a two-fight win streak. The Philadelphia native has just a single loss on his record, also to Muhammad.
A win over former champion Edwards would arguably be the biggest of Brady's career, but Pickett doesn't see his countryman taking another defeat — especially not in his return to the Octagon.
“Overcoming any loss, no matter where you are in your career, you always want to get back on track," Picket told Grosvenor Sport . "Going back-to-back losses is going to be tough, especially with him (Edwards) being a former champion.
“He's just lost his belt, so his next fight is going to be very important for where he goes in his life. He's fighting a very tough, up-and-coming guy within the weight class. He should be going into this fight as a favourite, but he's tough.”
Pickett, who competed in the UFC as a bantamweight and flyweight before his retirement in 2017, believes Edwards' style may be too much for Brady to overcome. He also feels that a return to a more agreeable fight time will help Edwards after the former champion appeared to suffer from competing in the middle of the night in his last bout.
“For me, Sean Brady is a tough competitor with an impressive record of 17-1, he’s got more of a grappler sort of style," Pickett said. "Leon Edwards, coming off his title defence loss to Belal Muhammad, is a veteran of the sport. He’s very well-rounded and hard to take down.
“We saw that with [Kamaru] Usman, I feel with his last fight with Belal Muhammad, the timing of the event didn’t do him very well, 4 am in Manchester doesn’t suit anyone. Nathaniel Wood fought on that card as well, and he didn’t feel great. I’ve been there before and done that, so I also know how tough that was, it sucked.
“It kind of affected his performance, he was very lacklustre, so I feel like he’s got a bit of a point to prove in this one. This fight is a real test for both of them, it’s a test for Sean Brady to see where he’s at.
“But Leon is such a talented fighter in all areas, I can see him securing a win pretty early with some strikes, or if not, a quite dominant decision victory."
