Sean Brady is on the rise. At UFC London, Brady secured the biggest win of his career, submitting former welterweight champion Leon Edwards in the fourth round of the main event. This victory not only marked the first time Edwards had been stopped but also propelled Brady to the No. 1 spot in the UFC welterweight rankings, bringing him to the cusp of a title shot. When you reach such a position, you suddenly become much more appealing to other fighters.
Speaking on his “BradyBagz” podcast, Brady discussed how life has changed as the No. 1 contender, particularly noting that fighters he previously called out are now much more willing to fight him.
“I was trying to get the [Kamaru] Usman fight for months,” Brady said. “DM`d him, hit him up, and now, *now* he`s saying, `Me and Brady should fight for the No. 1 contender.` Oh, really?! I just beat the guy who beat you twice!”
Kamaru Usman isn`t the only fighter suddenly interested in Brady. Brady also took the opportunity to jab at former interim champion Colby Covington, who showed no interest in a matchup before Brady defeated Edwards.
“Same thing with [Covington],” Brady said. “I was asking for that fight for so long, the UFC pretty much told me, `This guy sucks.` Funnily enough, I watched, my brother sent me a clip where he says, `Sean Brady f*cking sucks. I`ve never watched one of his fights. Blah blah blah. I saw him get beat up by Belal.` Dude, you just said you`ve never watched one of my fights, but then you saw me get beat up by Belal, so what are you even talking about?”
“He`s supposed to be this high-level wrestler, but bro, Leon took you down multiple times, beat you up. Did you see what I just did to Leon? What would I do to you? I would f*cking kill him. He`s not even fighting anyone in the top 15. Dude, he might not even have a job. When did that guy last win a fight? He f*cking sucks. …
“Colby, you`re a p*ssy. How do you get punched by [Jorge] Masvidal in public and then sue him? You`re a pro fighter. You`re a p*ssy.”
While the No. 1 contender spot usually guarantees a title shot, the welterweight title picture is currently unclear. Champion Belal Muhammad was scheduled to defend his title against undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 last December, but withdrew due to injury. Rakhmonov remained on the card and defeated Ian Machado Garry, but also sustained an injury during the fight, rendering him unavailable.
Now, Muhammad will defend his title on May 10 against Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC 315, and it remains uncertain who will next challenge the winner. If Brady gets the shot, great, but if not, the Philadelphia native insists his next fight must be a No. 1 contender bout or nothing.
“Either I`m fighting for the belt next, I could fight the winner or loser, or realistically, me vs. Shavkat for No. 1 contender,” Brady said. “I`m not really leaning towards anyone. But Belal and I have a history, and it`s a good storyline. So, obviously, the best scenario is: he goes out there, beats Jack in May, and we fight for the belt towards the end of the year… I would fight Shavkat in the summer, and the winner of us fights Belal at the end of the year [too].”
“I`m only fighting Shavkat or the winner or loser for the belt. There`s no one else. I`m No. 1, Shavkat is No. 2. The Usman thing could be enticing if the UFC wants it, he`s a former champ, so I want that on my resume, but aside from that, no. There`s nothing else there.”
Wesley Dunham