“I just dominated Gilbert Burns, I just dominated Leon Edwards, so I think I’m right there.” Sean Brady had no problem declaring himself the top dog after the recently concluded UFC London, where he made history by being the first man to submit Edwards, right in front of his home crowd. That’s a flex, no doubt. But not everyone’s buying what he’s selling. Not Belal Muhammad, and definitely not Team Khabib.
On the Javier & Mo Show, Javier Mendez wasted no time deflating Brady’s balloon. When asked if Brady was the rightful No. 1 contender, Mendez didn’t even hesitate. “Me? No, I think Shavkat (Rakhmonov) is. You know. I think he is the number one contender.” And when Mo pushed for a little wiggle room, maybe Brady cracks the top three? Mendez shut it down. “No, he’s top 2. In my books. Brady is top two for sure, but” wait for it “I think Shavkat’s ahead of him.”
It’s not that Mendez thought Brady flopped. He just wasn’t dazzled. “I didn’t think it was spectacular, okay? I think it was dominating, but he dominated a guy that I personally felt didn’t want to be there. That’s my opinion.” So to say, Leon Edwards was mentally checked out, and Brady took full advantage. According to Mendez, it wasn’t the “greatest welterweight performance ever” but again that’s just his “opinion.”
February 2, 2022, Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States: LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 2: Shavkat Rakhmonov interacts with media during the UFC Vegas 47: Hermansson v Strickland Media Day at UFC Apex on February 2, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Las Vegas, Nevada United States – ZUMAp175 20220202_zsa_p175_039 Copyright: xDiegoxRibasx
Now, while Brady is out here calling his shot, let’s check in on the actual champ, Belal Muhammad. He wasn’t throwing punches at UFC London, but he was throwing absolute heat on X. Muhammad live-posted his way through the fight, dropping subtle (and not-so-subtle) digs at Brady. While Brady was making history, the champ was making memes.
What is Belal Muhammad’s take on the welterweight chessboard?
Muhammad has his own business to handle soon—Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. But that didn’t stop him from clocking in for a side gig as a full-time internet troll. As Brady was grinding out Edwards, Belal was busy cooking. “Leon’s gonna need a big motivational speech this round,” he posted mid-fight, alluding to Edwards’ coach’s motivational speech before ‘Rocky’ knocked Kamaru Usman out at UFC 278. And when Brady sealed the deal with a submission, Muhammad made sure the world remembered who handed Brady his only career loss. “Just how good is Belal Muhammad?” Subtext? Been there, done that, got the W.
When Muhammad withdrew from UFC 310 due to a foot injury, ‘Nomad’ stepped up and went five rounds with Ian Machado Garry, proving he could go the distance for the first time in his career. Some fans started whispering that maybe Shavkat isn’t the indestructible machine they thought he was. But the Palestinian champ? He wasn’t fooled. “Everybody thinks he’s a RoboCop, he’s a robot, he’s just going to walk through you. The fact that he didn’t walk through him (Machado Garry), everyone thinks he sucks now, but we don’t look at that. We look at patterns.”
And his confidence is on another level. “I don’t think he’s ever fought anybody like me. There’s not a lot of guys who ever fought a guy like me, so once you get into the cage with me, it’s different. He’s going to get into the cage with me, realize it’s different, and there’s levels to this.”
So, where does this leave Brady? He may have put Leon away in style, but Team Khabib isn’t handing out any gold stars. Mendez crowned ‘Nomad’ the true No. 1. And the champ is busy playing sniper in X while gearing up for his own fight. With Muhammad set to defend his title against Della Maddalena and a collision course with Shavkat waiting. Brady might think he’s “right there,” but according to Team Khabib? Not just yet. So, what do you think? Is Sean Brady the real deal, or is he still on trial? Drop your takes in the comments below!
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