It’s been said that old habits die hard. Every time I bet on a UFC event, I am reminded of that very same phrase. The sport in general is just too unpredictable, and that’s not to mention which way the judging will go. Yet, while I failed, quite a few athletes won this weekend. UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady took the promotion back to the UK on a night where hometown fighters had the opportunity to put another tally in the win column. In an uninspired night by cage fighting standards, there was still plenty to appreciate, particularly the co-main and main event. Two former champions right in the mix of championship contention had the opportunity to reclaim gold, but came up short, for vastly different reasons. Of course, the losing parties were also the ones I was rooting for. Funny how that works. As much as it pains me, let’s pull the curtain back and get into it.
In the co-main event, former Light Heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz took on rising contender Carlos Ulberg in a low-scoring affair where Ulberg emerged the victor. Blachowicz, the former champion, had not fought since the summer of 2023, in which he lost by split decision to the legendary Alex Periera. Subsequently undergoing shoulder surgery, the Polish Power had to be put on standby as he awaited his return. At age 42, Blachowicz may not have much time left, but he has always been a fairly consistent fighter. He arrives in top form, and viewers are never left wondering which version of him will show up. Yet, optics would indicate cause for concern. A man in his forties coming off of surgery and nearly two years of inactivity would seem to be at a disadvantage. This didn’t bother me after seeing what Blachowicz has brought to the table over the years. He is never an easy out, and showed no signs of decline, even after this fight. His losses are not due to physical failings or uncharacteristic mistakes. If anything, he has simply been the victim of poor luck, with his last three fights resulting in a draw (versus the current LHW champion, Magomed Ankalaev), a decision loss to Pereira, and another decision loss to Ulberg. He’s not getting taken out to pasture, he is simply coming just shy.
Unfortunately for the former champ, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. His dance partner, Carlos Ulberg, earned the win fair and square. Ulberg has now won eight in a row, the longest win streak in the division, and commands respect. He is not a household name like Periera, but he has now proven he can hang with the best of them. While the decision itself can be debated, it is crucial to remember that close fights are not robberies. This was not an egregious decision like Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon. To my eye, it was speed/volume versus power. Blachowicz was at a clear speed disadvantage and at times seemed visibly frustrated that he could not bypass his opponent’s defense, despite calls from his corner for more output. Jan continually had Ulberg on the back foot, skirting the fence, yet could not pile on strikes or takedowns despite being in an advantageous position. Ulberg, to his credit, was content to dance at a distance, firing fast, precise shots that earned him an edge in significant strikes. Yet, while he did not compile a greater number of strikes, I believe Jan possessed quality over quantity. His punches and kicks appeared heavier and more impactful. Blachowicz’s leg kicks are criminally underrated. Fans are quick to credit Pereira for his leg attacks, but they have been a part of Jan’s game for a long time. Blachowicz crippled Ankalaev with leg kicks, and it was clear they significantly damaged Ulberg as well. Both fighters landed a large volume of leg kicks, but whereas Ulberg seemed to barely touch the leg, Blachowicz seemed to chop through it, doing a great job of checking his opponent’s kicks so they did not do as much damage as they appeared. In this type of guerilla-warfare style fight, I did not think one athlete stood head and shoulders above the other. A case could be made for either, and while I root for Blachowicz, I understand why the decision went the way it did. Ulberg managed range well and controlled the pace of the fight, while outlanding his opposition.
In the main event, homegrown favorite and former champion Leon “Rocky” Edwards clashed against Jiu Jitsu ace Sean Brady in a welterweight bout. Unlike the preceding fight, this was one-sided domination by Brady, as he rocketed to the number one contender spot after a round 4 submission victory. After Brady was walked down by now-champion Belal Muhammad in 2022, many were quick to write off the Philadelphia-based talent. Sean Brady never wrote back as he won back-to-back scraps against Kelvin Gastelum and Gilbert Burns. While I certainly respected Brady, I expected Edwards to be a bit too advanced, even after his last fight. In his previous bout with Muhammad in which he lost his title, Edwards seemed slow, confused, and not at all himself. I very much doubted that a fighter of Leon’s caliber would show up that way twice in a row. After all, recency bias is just that- bias. Edwards, prior to his rematch against Muhammad, has won 13 straight fights, defending his title against Kamaru Usman (one of the best Welterweights of all time) and repeat title challenger Colby Covington. Even in his last fight against Muhammad (an elite grappler), Leon had success, and was able to get back to his feet, create damage, and even take his opponent down. Point being, Leon has experience and success in competing against high-level wrestlers. Brady did not seem to be his kryptonite. I think this fight was particularly noteworthy, because Edwards’ performance can’t be written off as just another bad night at the office, it’s now a pattern. Just like Belal tweeted, Brady sort of DID copy his homework, their fights were similar.
After watching this fight several times, I was able to grasp a bit more of what occurred and why. Firstly, important to note, while Edward’s has fought and defeated elite wrestlers before, namely in Covington and Usman, there were a few key differences in his fight against Brady. Usman, while he has real knockout power, did not chain his combinations or land with the same volume that Muhammad and Brady did. He relied on one or two shots at a time to get the job done, allowing Leon to dance at range on the outside. Usman pressured, but he did not do much with said pressure. When he took Leon down, Leon was able to get back to his feet. Covington fared worse. To be frank, Covington is no longer a huge threat at welterweight. He lacked the ability to truly pressure Leon, and didn’t have the power or punching prowess to gain respect on the feet.
Enter Sean Brady, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu powerhouse, who, for reference, defeated one of the best submission grapplers of our time in Craig Jones (albeit under a specialized rule set). This fight against Edwards showcased those same skills and more. He pressured Edwards, having success on the feet and landing short combinations at close range, something Muhammad exemplified in his last fight. This combination of volume and pressure allowed Brady to have more success taking Edwards down than either Usman or Covington. Leon, as dangerous as he is, is often content to fight at his opponents pace, something that has burned him more than once. For a fighter nicknamed “Rocky” he doesn’t fight very much like him, he is instead more of a calculated sniper. When his opponent can hang with him on the feet AND poses a serious takedown threat, Edwards seems even more hesitant to pull the trigger. For a BJJ-heavy fighter, I was very impressed by Sean Brady’s striking in this bout, as he clipped Leon often in Round 1. After the opening round, Brady really ran away with the fight. He controlled Leon on the ground for the majority of the second round in an utter dismantling, landing strikes and threatening submissions. Edwards was so desperate that he actually shot a takedown in the third round. For such a dangerous fighter on the feet to abandon his bread and butter shows how out of his element he was on Saturday night. Brady had his final act in round 4, finishing things with a mounted guillotine.
Sean Brady moves to number one in the welterweight rankings, and it seems that either he or Shavkat Rakhmonov will be next in line to face Belal Muhammed. With plenty of fresh, dangerous faces in the division, it’s anyone’s guess who comes out on top in the next title bout.
