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Kamaru Usman has given his honest assessment of the Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady showdown that'll go down at UFC London. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' notably outlined one particular element that could be crucial for Edwards to clinch the victory.
Usman himself has faced the Englishman twice inside the octagon. He lost his UFC welterweight championship via fifth-round KO against Edwards back in 2022. Their rematch in 2023 saw Edwards beat him via majority decision.
Speaking of their pair of fights, some observers believe that Usman's wrestling-heavy style did present a tough challenge for Edwards, given that the Briton has long been considered a striking savant and not a grappling specialist.
Presently, Leon Edwards is booked to face American grappling savant Sean Brady. They'll headline UFC London on March 22, 2025. In an edition of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, hosts Kamaru Usman and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo addressed Edwards' upcoming fight.
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Usman cited his own fights against Edwards and underlined the following grappling tactic that 'Rocky' ought to alter to defeat Brady:
"If Leon has completely changed his approach to the game of accepting the takedown and using the cage to get back up, I can see a world where Leon gets it done. But if you haven't changed the approach, if you're gonna approach it the same way that you fought me, I don't see where you get it done here -- because Sean Brady is just going to implement the exact same game plan."
"So I believe Sean Brady's going to implement that. And this is no shade, too. I think Leon is extremely talented. And I think Leon has ways to win. Because Leon is no slouch on his back. It's just that when you got a heavy grappler, wrestler, on top of you -- taking you down repeatedly, time and time again -- it wears you out," he added.
Check out Kamaru Usman's comments below (0:05):
Watch the podcast episode below (*comments at 7:27):
Leon Edwards on the supposed grappling-heavy challenge presented by Sean Brady
After beating Kamaru Usman twice, Leon Edwards outpointed Colby Covington to defend the welterweight title in December 2023. Edwards' next fight, also his most recent one, was a unanimous decision defeat against Belal Muhammad in their rematch that transpired in July 2024.
The Briton's critics subsequently pointed out that Muhammad's wrestling and overall grappling prowess helped him outpoint Edwards and end his title reign. On that note, many believe that Brady -- who replaced Edwards' original UFC London opponent and striker Jack Della Maddalena -- is a bad stylistic matchup for him.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Leon Edwards seemingly disapproved of that hypothesis. The former UFC welterweight champion implied that he was well-prepared for a dangerous striker in Della Maddalena but is unfazed by the change of opponents and having to face a fearsome grappler like Brady.
Furthermore, Edwards emphasized that he and his team have extensively worked to train him for great grapplers like Usman, Covington, and Muhammad, so Brady isn't much different:
"It's the same. [Kamaru] Usman, Colby [Covington], Belal [Muhammad], they're all similar to Sean [Brady]. And it's a style that me and the team is used to, and it was easier to plan for."
Watch Leon Edwards' assessment below (1:47):
