#9-Ranked UFC Welterweight Sean Brady Names Ideal Next Opponent
Rising UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady has looked ahead to his next fight and revealed who he’d like to share the Octagon with.
With all the talk of Khamzat Chimaev rising the ranks with a memorable victory over Gilbert Burns, the name of one other undefeated prospect has perhaps gone more unnoticed than it should have, and that’s Brady.
In building an unblemished 15-0 record, the wrestling specialist has had his hand raised five times inside the Octagon, a run that includes victories over Court McGee and Jake Matthews.
Most recently, Brady secured a quick ascension into the 170-pound top 10 thanks to a triumph over perennial contender Michael Chiesa at UFC Vegas 43 last November.
With a place in the elite of the division cemented, Brady turned his attention to once again fighting up the ladder. At the start of the year, the up-and-comer pointed to Stephen Thompson as his logical next opponent.
With “Wonderboy” hoping to avoid wrestlers, that bout was quickly dismissed b the former title challenger. Now, during an interview with MMA News’ own James Lynch, Brady has discussed that callout and the negative reception it received from some in the fanbase.
“It’s funny. I’ve never lost a fight, and I see people (saying), ‘Sean sucks, Sean this…’ Listen, I’m undefeated, I’m ranked in the top 10 in the UFC in less than two years, and I’m just trying to—I want to fight the best guys in the world. I’m not trying to get easy fights,” said Brady.
“When I asked for ‘Wonderboy,’ he was the only one available inside the top 10. People are like, ‘Why are you trying to fight ‘Wonderboy,’ he’s old, he’s this…’ I’m like, why? ‘Cause he lost two fights? He was the only one available that was ranked ahead of me. I’m trying to fight up.”
With a pursuit of a Thompson fight seemingly a thing of the past, Brady has set his sights elsewhere, with his next target set following last weekend’s UFC Fight Night main event.
Brady Challenges A “Silent Assassin”
With nose surgery preventing a quick return to action, Brady has been able to wait for other matchups in the division’s upper echelon to play out. Most recently, that saw top contenders Belal Muhammad and Vicente Luque run it back for five rounds in Las Vegas.
Brady told MMA News that he was anticipating the loser of that clash to become an option. With Luque falling short on the scorecards, the #9-ranked welterweight is zoning in on “The Silent Assassin.”
“I know how good I am, everyone who trains with me knows how good I am, real people like you (James Lynch) and other media members know how good I am, I just need to keep getting these opportunities to prove it,” said Brady. “I’m hoping to get a big fight next.
“The division is crazy stacked… Me, looking at a fight that I could potentially get, would be—I was thinking the loser of that matchup (Muhammad vs. Luque)… I’m not sure how long Vicente will be out for, but that’s a fight I would like to get,” revealed Brady.
“Vicente’s one of the best in the world… I would love to test myself against him. That’s something I’m looking at.”
Discussing how that fight would play out, Brady acknowledged Luque’s grit and skill on the feet. With that in mind, Brady said he’d be looking to take the Brazilian into his wheelhouse in order to utilize the grappling abilities that he used to dispatch Chiesa last year.
“If I went in there, I wouldn’t be trying to have a kickboxing match with one of the best strikers in the division,” Brady told MMA News. “I’d clearly be trying to use my grappling to my advantage. But I think it’d be a great fight. We’ll see. My manager has been reaching out to the UFC, letting them know I’m cleared and we’d like to fight sometime in the summer.”
For Brady, a collision with Luque would not only ascend him to just outside the top five in the weight class, but it would add an established name, who’d been tipped by many to challenge for gold this year, to his already-impressive résumé.
Nothing says game like calling out a man like Luque. We’ll see if that bout can come to fruition later this year.
Catch our full interview with UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady below:
How do you think a fight between Sean Brady and Vicente Luque would play out?
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