Leon Edwards is back.
The former UFC welterweight champion, current No. 1 contender, and No. 12 fighter in the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings returns to the Octagon on Saturday in London.
It’ll be a home game for Edwards at the O2 Arena, where he will face No. 5 Sean Brady in the main event of UFC Fight Night London. I have all the results and highlights of every finish as they happen below.
Main Card (Starting at 3:00 PM ET) on ESPN+
- Welterweight Bout: Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Jan Błachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Welterweight Bout: Gunnar Nelson vs. Kevin Holland
- Women’s Strawweight Bout: Molly McCann vs. Alexia Thainara
- Lightweight Bout: Jordan Vucenic vs. Chris Duncan
- Featherweight Bout: Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan Charrière
UFC Fight Night London Preliminary Card (Starting at 12:00 PM ET) on ESPN+
- Lightweight Bout: Jai Herbert vs. Chris Padilla
- Flyweight Bout: Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Felipe dos Santos
- Heavyweight Bout: Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin
- Middleweight Bout: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Andre Pulyaev
- Women’s Strawweight Bout: Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar
- Bantamweight Bout: Nathan Fletcher vs. Caolan Loughran
- Lightweight Bout: Guram Kutateladze vs. Kaue Fernandes
3 Things to Watch at UFC Fight Night London
Leon Edwards Could Pass GSP
If Edwards-Brady goes the distance (the fight is scheduled for five rounds), the former will pass Georges St-Pierre for second-most total fight time in the UFC’s welterweight division.
Edwards would trail only Neil Magny in that department amongst welterweights.
Gunnar Nelson Looking to Add to His UFC Records
Gunnar Nelson takes on the reeling Kevin Holland on the main card. Holland has lost two fights in a row and four of his last five. Nelson is currently the UFC’s all-time leader in submission wins at welterweight with 7 and significant strike accuracy at 60.5%.
However, it’s been two years since Nelson competed, with his last fight coming in March 2023. He won that fight over Bryan Barberena via armbar in the first round.
Nelson has also secured five performance bonuses thanks to his submission grappling wizardry. If Holland isn’t on his game, he might be the newest addition to Nelson’s highlight reel.
Fighters Making Their Main Roster Debuts
Two fighters on the card are making their debuts after qualifying for the main roster on the most recent season of Dana White’s Contender Series. Alexia Thainara, 27, is from Brazil.
She scored a unanimous decision win over Rose Conceicao in September 2024 to earn her contract. Thainara will have to get it done in hostile territory as she faces the homestanding Molly McCann.
Russia’s Andrey Pulyaev, 27, also took a unanimous decision win on the Contender Series. He got the better of Liam Anderson in August 2024 to grab a spot on the roster. He’ll also have a tough fight on his hands against the uber-athletic Christian Leroy Duncan.
CLD, a Gloucester native, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Gregory Rodrigues in July 2024. This fight could be excellent while putting the winner in a position for a well-known opponent in their next fight.
As the events of the day affect these projections, I’ll replace the text with the relevant reactions. Be on the lookout for more UFC Fight Night London coverage through the weekend.