Leon Edwards suffers crushing defeat against Sean Brady at UFC London – as American silences the O2 crowd by forcing fourth-round submission
Sean Brady stunned the O2 Arena on Saturday night, submitting former welterweight champion Leon Edwards in the fourth round of their UFC Fight Night main event.
Stepping in on short notice, the American produced the performance of his career to derail Edwards’ comeback plans and silence the partisan London crowd with a clinical guillotine choke just one minute and 39 seconds into the fourth round.
The defeat marks a second consecutive loss for Birmingham’s Edwards, 33, who was originally slated to face Jack Della Maddalena before a reshuffle of the UFC welterweight picture saw Brady (now 18-1) drafted in.
Edwards had hoped to rebuild momentum after losing his title to Belal Muhammad last summer, but instead found himself overwhelmed by Brady’s relentless grappling and ground control.
From the opening bell, the contest was a high-paced affair. Edwards looked sharp early, finding success with his jab and stuffing some of Brady’s initial takedown attempts. But as the fight wore on, Brady’s pressure and wrestling pedigree began to take over.
Sean Brady (right) beat Leon Edwards at London’s O2 Arena at UFC Fight Night on Saturday
Brady forced his opponent to submit just one minute and 39 seconds into the fourth round
In round two, the Philadelphia native dominated on the mat, securing Edwards’ back and threatening with multiple submissions. He continued to smother the Brit in the third, controlling position and landing ground strikes that sapped Edwards’ energy.
The finish came in the fourth round after another takedown put Brady in prime position. He locked in a guillotine choke from top position and forced Edwards to tap, sealing an emphatic victory that catapults him into the title conversation.
Elsewhere on the card, New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg earned a unanimous decision over former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in the co-main event, while Kevin Holland outpointed Gunnar Nelson in a tightly contested welterweight bout.
British fan favourite Molly McCann suffered a first-round submission loss to Alexia Thainara and announced her retirement from MMA after the fight.
But the night belonged to Brady, the underdog who walked into enemy territory and left with the biggest win of his career.
