Sean Brady understands his current situation following the events of UFC 315. Despite the recent shake-up in the welterweight division, Philadelphia`s Sean Brady holds firm at the top, maintaining his #1 ranking.
Ordinarily, Brady`s dominant performance against Leon Edwards at UFC London in March, where he became the first fighter to finish the former champion, would likely have positioned him for a title shot.
However, that scenario appears improbable now. All signs point towards a potential superfight between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and the new welterweight king, Jack Della Maddalena, following Maddalena`s victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 last weekend.
This development leaves the number one contender, Sean Brady, in an uncertain position regarding his next move.
Sean Brady Acknowledges He Needs Another Fight for Title Shot
Finding himself potentially sidelined from an immediate title opportunity, the 18-1 Brady had a feeling the championship fight wasn`t next, even after his impressive finish of Edwards.
“I knew if Jack won, I`d be fighting again,” Brady commented on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“I`m fine with it.”
“Of course, I want the title shot, but there`s still Shavkat [Rakhmonov] to consider,” Brady added. “You have Islam talking about moving up, and Kamaru [Usman] and [Joaquin] Buckley claiming the winner of their fight deserves a title shot. We`re all going to have to fight.”
Sean Brady Eyes Ian Machado Garry as Potential Next Opponent
With the welterweight division full of hungry contenders, Brady has set his sights on a potential clash with the #6-ranked Ian Machado Garry.
Machado Garry, who recently earned a decision win over #13-ranked Carlos Prates after a loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, has also been publicly campaigning for a title opportunity.
Since an immediate title shot isn`t available for the top contenders, Brady is eager to face `The Future`.
“I`m going to have to fight Ian Garry eventually,” Brady stated regarding his next likely opponent.
“Why not do it now and get it out of the way?”
“If I`m as good as I believe I am, I`d fight Shavkat for the number one contender spot… But he says he`s returning in October [from injury], which likely means the end of the year or even next year.”
“Ian and I had a brief exchange across the arena at the fight… I felt like, `You and me, that`s what makes sense.` I think we`ll have to fight now because we can`t all just wait indefinitely for a title shot,” Brady elaborated.
