Leon Edwards had a sitdown ahead of UFC London this weekend, where he touched on a number of topics, including the opponent shake-up he experienced. He was initially scheduled to face Jack Della Maddalena, a striker by trade. Now, though, he is set to face Sean Brady, a highly physical wrestler.
For many, this stylistic shift could present problems given that Edwards had been preparing for a striker instead of a wrestler. However, according to the Englishman, he is at ease given his familiarity with Brady's wrestling style. He's faced it too many times to fail.
"From my point of view it's a f*cking sick fight. Great strikers. Also more seasoned with the grappling part of it, but it's still a good matchup, and then Sean came along. Another, like I said, style I'm used to. [It's] what I've been training for for the last how many years. It's the same. [Kamaru] Usman, Colby [Covington], Belal [Muhammad], they're all similar to Sean and it's a style that me and the team is used to and it was easier to plan for."
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Edwards' record against the aforementioned wreslters is worth noting, as it's more competitive than it initially seems. Kamaru Usman dominated him with his wrestling in their first encounter, though it was years ago. Their rematch consisted of more of the same, with Usman outwrestling him for most of the bout.
Edwards, though, did manage to take him down in round one. His true moment came in round five, where he scored an all-time great head kick to knock Usman out cold. The pair then had a rubber match, which was competitive, though Edwards grabbed the fence, among other offenses. Still, he won.
His bout against Colby Covington was more lopsided, as he even outwrestled him to a win. However, Belal Muhammad, who he faced twice, went differently. Their first fight ended in a no-contest due to an Edwards eye poke, and their rematch ended in a dominant win for the Palestinian-American.
Leon Edwards and Sean Brady have an opponent in common
Leon Edwards and Sean Brady both faced Belal Muhammad, losing to him in vastly different ways. 'Rocky' was outwrestled in effortless fashion for most of the bout, before trying to rally in the end when it was far too late. However, Brady had a more stunning loss.
Muhammad, who has never been known for his finishing ability, scored his first finish and TKO in years, by outstriking and hurting Brady on the feet, forcing the referee to intervene.
