UFC London: Top Contender Offers to Fight Leon Edwards in His Own Backyard

Leon Edwards' opponent at UFC London 2025 still hasn't been revealed

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

It's been almost a month since former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards revealed he'd be headlining the March 22 Fight Night in London.

We're no closer to finding out who his opponent is, with Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov recovering from their five-round war at UFC 310 and Joaquin Buckley earning his biggest win at UFC Tampa. Is the UFC waiting on the statuses of their top welterweights, or is it cooking up a matchup nobody would see coming, as Dana White alluded to recently?

One ranked welterweight contender isn't leaving it to chance, taking the opportunity to throw his hat in the ring during a recent appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show.

Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights Colby Covington (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Sean Brady Calls Out Leon Edwards for UFC London Main Event

No. 4-ranked Brady is keen to prove himself in enemy territory after suffering his first professional defeat at the hands of Belal Muhammad in Abu Dhabi in 2022.

"[Looking at the rankings], me and Leon makes the most sense," Brady said. "... I would want to go somewhere and prove myself because my first loss did come while I was traveling [to fight Muhammad], and I'm a completely different fighter now."

Oct 22, 2022; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Belal Muhammad (red gloves) and Sean Brady (blue gloves) during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena. / Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

Brady's loss was also Muhammad's second TKO victory in his then-17 UFC appearances, which was all the more devastating. Despite this, Philadelphia's Brady took the loss well, shooting down any 'fraud-checked' accusations. "I guess I got fraud-checked by the UFC champion. Thanks, bro," Brady told MMA Junkie in September.

"I just want to prove it to myself that I can go [in someone's backyard] and win a fight," Brady continued on the Ariel Helwani Show. " ... My wife's due in February, so March is kind of soon. But to fight Leon, a No. 1 contender in his own home ... It's worth the risk to go over there..."

Most of the top welterweights are currently injured or recovering from fights. Brady and Jack Della Maddalena are the only obvious options for Edwards, but fans shouldn't rule out a wild card fight like Jorge Masvidal. It wouldn't be the first time Edwards fought an unranked fighter, as he fought Nate Diaz in 2022 despite being the No. 3 welterweight.

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