UFC welterweight Sean Brady’s powerful all-American wrestling has made him a dangerous opponent so far. He expects more of the same when he faces Belal Muhammad this weekend at UFC 280, planning to dominate his opponent despite Muhammad’s impressive record. Thus far, Muhammad has dispatched elite opposition like Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson, and Demian Maia, but Brady elaborated on his confidence at the pre-fight media day.
“It’s a good run, don’t get me wrong. But even if you look at the grappler that he fought, Demian Maia, Demian Maia is a jiu-jitsu guy. He’s not a grappler. He’s never been good at takedowns; his takedown accuracy was like 23 percent. The dude was pulling guard and scooting towards people.
Sean Brady: “I’m A Different Animal”
I’m a different animal of taking people down and controlling them and ground and pound and submissions, and I feel like it’s gonna be a lot different. It’s gonna be something he’s never experienced before. Just like people talk about what Khabib feels like, you don’t know until you feel it. These guys don’t know. Until I grab them, they’re not gonna know what they’re in for.”
Brady was careful not to let his confidence err into disrespect, however. He praised Muhammad’s fighting ability, but reiterated that on the big night, he’ll be the one with his hand raised.
“Belal’s good. He’s good at what he does. But I just think I’m better at what he does, and I think they just made some tactical mistakes that I’m not gonna make.
He’s not Khabib. Islam is not Khabib. Khabib’s Khabib, and Khabib’s lost as a cornerman, and he’s gonna lose again on Saturday night. Guys in Khabib’s camp have lost, so the only one who’s undefeated is Khabib. Belal is not undefeated, and he’s gonna catch another L on Saturday.”
Sean Brady is currently undefeated, and ranked no. 8 in the UFC welterweight rankings. Like many other college wrestlers, Brady tends to suffocate his opposition to earn a decision win rather than seeking highlight-reel finishes. Eight of his fifteen career wins have come via decision. Belal Muhammad, too, typically outpoints opponents, with sixteen decision wins to his name.
It seems that this will be far from a cautious fight, however, with a potential title shot on the line for these elite welterweights.
That, of course, will be decided this Saturday night at UFC 280. Do you think Sean Brady is right to be so confident against such elite opposition? Let us know in the comments.
