#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…

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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”

Vicente Luque
Vicente Luque

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?

Continue Reading #9-Ranked UFC Welterweight Sean Brady Names Ideal Next Opponent at MMA News.

Sean Brady Lays Out Recent Frustrations With Internet Trolls

UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady is sick of dealing with trolls on social media following his last win over Michael Chiesa. Brady defeated Chiesa via a unanimous decision last November in easily the biggest win of his career. Before that, he earned wins over Court McGee and Jake Matthews in the Octagon. Despite his recent…

Continue Reading Sean Brady Lays Out Recent Frustrations With Internet Trolls at MMA News.

UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady is sick of dealing with trolls on social media following his last win over Michael Chiesa.

Brady defeated Chiesa via a unanimous decision last November in easily the biggest win of his career. Before that, he earned wins over Court McGee and Jake Matthews in the Octagon.

Despite his recent successes, Brady has had to deal with his fair share of trolls on his social media platforms. Unfortunately, this is a pattern that seems to follow UFC fighters who are on the winning track.

During an exclusive interview with MMANews’ James Lynch, Brady kept it real when it comes to dealing with online critics.

“With the Chiesa fight, the thing that bothers me the most… I shouldn’t read comments, but I do,” Brady admitted. “People were like, ‘Oh, Sean’s conditioning sucks’. I broke my nose in the first round and was sucking on blood that entire fight. It was the worst feeling of my life. If you know me, I run, I have more conditioning than anyone in every room I’ve ever met. So that kinda gets under my skin. But if people don’t know, I broke my nose. And I couldn’t breathe through my nose to begin with.”

Many UFC fighters use their social media to engage with their fans and critics alike. But for Brady, he takes issue with some UFC fans who use their engagement with him to make baseless critiques of his skillset.

Sean Brady Wanted A Stephen Thompson Fight Before Thompson Declined

One potential opponent that Brady has mentioned recently is former title challenger Stephen Thompson, who recently denied interest in a fight with him.

Brady went on to address the criticism he received from online trolls for requesting the fight with Thompson.

“I’m not trying to get easy fights. When I asked for Wonderboy, he was the only one available in the top 10. And people were like, ‘Why are you trying to fight Wonderboy?! He’d old, he’s this, he’s that. I’m like, Why? Because he lost two fights? He was the only one available that was ranked ahead of me. I’m trying to fight up. These internet (trolls)—I don’t know why I let it get to me, but I’m just like, I’m trying to fight up.”

Thompson is coming off of back-to-back losses against Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns. He seems to be near the later part of his career in the Octagon after losses in four of his last six fights.

At 29 years old, Brady is one of the top welterweight prospects in the UFC. With another pair of wins, he could enter the welterweight title conversation by the end of 2022.

What is your reaction to our interview with Sean Brady?

Continue Reading Sean Brady Lays Out Recent Frustrations With Internet Trolls at MMA News.

Sean Brady Sees “Wonderboy” As His Only Possible Next Opponent

Undefeated UFC welterweight Sean Brady believes a fight with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is the only matchup that makes sense for him next.

After a perfect 4-0 start on MMA’s biggest stage, which included a 2021 submission victory over Jake Matthe…

Stephen Thompson, Sean Brady

Undefeated UFC welterweight Sean Brady believes a fight with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is the only matchup that makes sense for him next.

After a perfect 4-0 start on MMA’s biggest stage, which included a 2021 submission victory over Jake Matthews, Brady had his chance to break into the group of contenders at UFC Vegas 43 in November. He faced the challenge of promotional veteran Michael Chiesa, a man who boasts the names of Neil Magny, Rafael dos Anjos, and Beneil Dariush on his résumé.

In a controlling performance, Brady extended his unblemished record to 15-0 with a unanimous decision triumph over “Maverick.” In doing so, he rose to #9 in the UFC welterweight rankings. With that in mind, he’s targeting a big name for his next Octagon outing.

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Brady Hopes To Use Thompson As A Stepping Stone Up The WW Ladder

While Brady surged up the welterweight ladder in 2021, one top veteran went in the opposite direction. At the start of the year, Stephen Thompson was riding a two-fight win streak and, as one of the few high-ranked names yet to challenge Kamaru Usman, had aspirations of a title shot.

Fast forward to the start of 2022 and the script has flipped for “Wonderboy.” Defeats to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad have left him in need of a rebound performance to keep his hopes of a third championship opportunity alive.

During a recent interview with The Schmo, Brady offered to give Thompson that chance. Discussing his options in 2022, the 29-year-old suggested there aren’t many beyond “Wonderboy.”

“It’s a weird division,” Brady said. “Honestly, I’m nine, Wonderboy’s seven, I don’t really see any other options right now. I know the guys in the top five, they only want guys higher than them or a title fight, and then Neil Magny and me are training partners, we’re not fighting each other, and there’s Masvidal; I’m realistic, I know I’m not getting that fight. So I think me and Wonderboy would be a great fight.”

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With Brady evidently ruling out a clash with teammate Magny, that leaves the UFC with two pairs of training partners refusing to fight inside the 170-pound top 10, top-five contenders Burns and Vicente Luque being the other.

Nevertheless, should Brady fight and beat Thompson, avoiding a clash with “The Haitian Sensation” shouldn’t be an issue, as he’ll be well on his way towards title contention and not far from a shot at “The Nigerian Nightmare.”

How do you think a fight between Sean Brady and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson would play out?

Continue Reading Sean Brady Sees “Wonderboy” As His Only Possible Next Opponent at MMA News.

Sean Brady Upsets Craig Jones At Fury Grappling 3

Sean BradySean Brady had an impressive year with the UFC picking up two wins in 2021 including a decision victory over Welterweight contender Michael Chiesa. It appears his success has transferred over to Fury Grappling as well as he was able to secure the upset victory over Craig Jones at last night’s competition. Neither of the […]

Sean Brady

Sean Brady had an impressive year with the UFC picking up two wins in 2021 including a decision victory over Welterweight contender Michael Chiesa. It appears his success has transferred over to Fury Grappling as well as he was able to secure the upset victory over Craig Jones at last night’s competition.

Neither of the two was able to secure takedowns, sweeps, passes, or submission attempts during the bout. Jones was also having to compete without being able to use his wide-range skillset as Fury Grappling 3’s rules didn’t allow for heel hooks in matchups against UFC athletes.

Brady, who was competing in his hometown of Philadelphia, spoke to his local fans following on from his victory.

“Craig’s the best grappler in the world, you know. I’m a jiu-jitsu guy but I’m a MMA guy, too. So, I just wanted to use my pressure, use my top game…. I’m so happy to be here in front of my fans in Philly. No matter what, Craig Jones is great, but I wasn’t losing in my hometown. “ (transcribed by the JiuJitsutimes)

What’s next for Sean Brady?

There is some hype building around Brady, maybe even not quite enough hype. Following on from his victory over Michael Chiesa, Brady earned himself the #9 slot in the welterweight rankings and now will be looking for his next opponent to begin his ascent to the top. Welterweight is running out of imminent contenders for current champion Kamaru Usman, so a big victory in his next bout could have a serious impact on his trajectory.

One matchup to consider is Belal Muhammad, coming off the back of a dominant performance over Stephen Thompson if Belal can’t secure a matchup against a top five-ranked opponent, stylistically these fighters would pair off nicely. Another option although less likely is Jorge Masvidal, given ‘Gamebred’ has already had two unsuccessful attempts at welterweight gold, his interest could now turn to take out some of the upcoming names in the division, and for Brady, if he were ever to get this fight it adds another experienced name onto his resume.

Who would you like to see Sean Brady face next?

UFC Rankings Report: Sean Brady Blasts Into The Welterweight Top 10

The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 43, and we’ve got the full recap for you down below.

Men’s Pound for Pound: No Changes

Women’s Pound for Pound: No Changes

Strawweight: No Changes

Women’s Flyweight: Talia Santos shoo…

Sean Brady

The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 43, and we’ve got the full recap for you down below.

Men’s Pound for Pound: No Changes

Women’s Pound for Pound: No Changes

Strawweight: No Changes

Women’s Flyweight: Talia Santos shoots up five spots to #5 after making short work of Joanne Wood at UFC Vegas 43. Wood falls one spot down to #6, and Viviane Araujo (#7), Andrea Lee (#8), Jessica Eye (#9), and Cynthia Calvillo (#10) each also drop one spot in the rankings. 

Women’s Bantamweight: Ketlen Vieira moves up to #6 following her unanimous decision win over Miesha Tate in the UFC Vegas 43 main event, causing Yana Kunitskaya to drop one position to #7. Tate remains at #8. 

Women’s Featherweight: N/A

Flyweight: No Changes  

Bantamweight: No Changes

Featherweight: No Changes

Lightweight: No Changes

Welterweight: The biggest jump this week goes to Sean Brady, who skyrockets up six spots to #8 after defeating Michael Chiesa in the UFC Vegas 43 co-main event. With Chiesa removed from the #6 spot, Jorge Masvidal is now ranked at #6 and Neil Magny ranked #7. Chiesa is now ranked #9 after the loss. Belal Muhammad (#10), Khamzat Chimaev (#11), Geoff Neal (#12), Li Jingliang (#13), and Santiago Ponzinibbio (#14) each dropped one spot.

Middleweight: No Changes

Light Heavyweight: No Changes

Heavyweight: No Changes

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here

 What are your thoughts on these updates to the UFC rankings following UFC Vegas 43?

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Sean Brady Blasts Into The Welterweight Top 10 at MMA News.

Michael Chiesa Reacts To Sean Brady Loss At UFC Vegas 43

UFC welterweight contender Michael Chiesa says he enjoyed his fight with Sean Brady at UFC Vegas 43 despite not getting the win.

Chiesa entered the fight looking to get back on track after a disappointing loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 265. However, …

Michael Chiesa

UFC welterweight contender Michael Chiesa says he enjoyed his fight with Sean Brady at UFC Vegas 43 despite not getting the win.

Chiesa entered the fight looking to get back on track after a disappointing loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 265. However, Chiesa ran into a strong up-and-coming prospect in Brady that controlled the fight on the feet and in the grappling aspect as well.

Despite suffering the unanimous decision defeat, Chiesa had some strong moments and nearly finished the fight in the final seconds. Afterwards, Chiesa praised Brady for the win while also remaining optimistic about his fighting future.

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“Disappointed I didn’t get the win tonight but I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t have fun out there,” Chiesa said. “Nothing but respect for [Sean Brady] and the Philly crew. The goal remains the same. I’ll be back stronger than ever in 2022.”

Michael Chiesa Has Lost Two In A Row After Winning Four Straight

Chiesa was arguably the hottest welterweight in the division before losing to Luque, having won four straight over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos and Neil Magny. He was close to securing a first-round submission against Luque before Luque reversed position and caught Chiesa in a brabo choke.

Chiesa made the move to welterweight after an up-and-down tenure at lightweight, which included several brutal weight cuts. He moved up to 170 pounds in 2018.

At 33 years old, Chiesa remains one of the most dangerous welterweights in the UFC, with some of the best grappling in the division. He has also showcased vast improvements in his standup and looked fast against Brady.

After a pair of setbacks to wrap up 2021, Chiesa will look ahead to 2022 to get back on track and snap a two-fight losing skid.

What do you think should be next for Michael Chiesa?

Continue Reading Michael Chiesa Reacts To Sean Brady Loss At UFC Vegas 43 at MMA News.