Rising welterweight contender Sean Brady made headlines at UFC Vegas 97 by defeating UFC veteran Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision. Both fighters had a competitive fight for five rounds, throwing everything at each other. It was Brady’s second consecutive win after his TKO loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 280.
Sean Brady demonstrated a complete skill set and outperformed Burns on both feet and on the ground. Brady pleased many fans and experts, including welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. Muhammad tweeted about how tough Brady appeared in the battle. Brady responded by discussing their previous fight and admitting that he made a significant error that contributed to his defeat.
It was a very competitive fight until it wasn’t. I got caught with a punch. I didn’t get dropped, I wasn’t knocked out. I should have thrown back but in that moment I quit on myself. That will never happen.
Belal Muhammad via UFC Vegas 97 post-fight presser
In the Gilbert Burns fight, Brady looked totally different. Brady promises he’s a younger, faster, and stronger version of Burns and proved his point by outgrappling his opponent. On the other hand, ‘Durinho’ was confident about his ground game but it seems that age has caught up with the fighter.
Burns mentioned that he couldn’t open up properly and was not confident during the exchanges. According to the Brazilian fighter, forcing the finish instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity cost him the bout. As for Brady, this win motivated him to pursue a rematch with Muhammad.
Being undefeated impacted Sean Brady’s impacted his first bout against Belal Muhammad
Sean Brady and Belal Muhammad first met at UFC 280, which was held in Abu Dhabi. Brady met a different Muhammad who was cornered by lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. The ‘Eagle’ successfully coached Muhammad to get a dominant victory over Brady. It was Muhammad’s first knockout victory in six years.
Brady, on the other hand, went into the fight with massive hype due to his undefeated streak. He was 5-0 in UFC and adamant about staying undefeated in MMA. While discussing the fight, Brady mentioned that his undefeated record put an immense presence on himself.
That night I beat myself. I was having dreams the entire night. It was because I was undefeated. I felt like my entire identity was wrapped into me being this undefeated fighter. I put so much pressure on myself.
Sean Brady via ESPN MMA
After getting his first loss, Brady felt relieved and didn’t care about his records. This helped him get two consecutive victories in a dominant fashion. After the latest win, Brady also called out big names such as Colby Covington and Ian Garry. It would be interesting to see how the American fighter continues to carry this momentum.
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