It’s the best UFC Fight Night in recent memory.
Saturday afternoon, the UFC leaves the warehouse known as the APEX and heads to the 02 Arena for UFC London.
The lineup is headlined by England’s own, Leon Edwards, who comes in as the underdog against rising star Sean Brady.
The card begins at 1 p.m. ET, with the entire show being broadcast on ESPN+.
UFC London predictions
Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady
The headliner for this card isn’t what it was supposed to be, as Edwards was hoping to get a rematch for the welterweight championship against Belal Muhammad.
He has since been passed over for the fight, and Jack Della Maddalena steps in for the title shot.
Edwards profiles as the better striker in this fight while Brady’s improvement in that area is the X-factor.
Brady should certainly have the edge in the grappling department but whether he can get the fight to the mat is the big question.
Edwards looked foolish attempting to defend takedowns against Muhammad, surrendering nine in a fight he lost badly by unanimous decision.
Brady could look to do the same, he averages 3.49 takedowns per 15 minutes, higher than Muhammad’s 2.26 takedowns per.
Where things get hairy for Brady is the striking; he was TKO’d by Muhammad in their fight, but that’s his only loss.
If this gets to the mat, Brady should look dominant.
My only problem is that Brady isn’t a cardio-first volume wrestler and Edwards has never been submitted in his career.
He allowed nine takedowns last time out, so there’s concern about his ability to defend them, but I’m not overly concerned, considering Kamaru Usman had a tough time bringing him to the ground in other fights.
Edwards doesn’t appear to have lost a step athletically, and his chin should be fine.
We’re betting on Edwards here as a bigger underdog than I expected.
PICK: Leon Edwards ML (+140, Caesars Sportsbook)
Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
In the light heavyweight division, Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg pops up as an intriguing bout between one hopeful contender in Ulberg and a gatekeeper in Blachowicz.
Blachowicz is a massive underdog in this fight, which is a bit surprising considering he only really loses to champions Alex Pereira (split-decision loss), and he even had a draw against now-champ Magomed Ankalaev.
Ulberg is a nasty striker, defeating five of his last six opponents by finish, three of which being first-round knockouts.
But Blachowicz hasn’t been knocked out since 2019 and nearly beat Pereira while he was on his rise to the title.
Blachowicz is getting up there in age — always a factor when betting this sport.
However, if the Blachowicz we’ve known and loved for years enters that octagon, I suspect he gets his hand raised this weekend.
PICK: Blachowicz by decision (+510, BetMGM)
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UFC London full card picks
Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady: Edwards ML (+140, Caesars Sportsbook)
Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg: Blachowicz by decision (+510, BetMGM)
Gunnar Nelson vs. Kevin Holland: Nelson by submission (+225, Bet365 Sportsbook)
Molly McCann vs. Alexia Thainara: Thainara wins inside the distance (+270, Fanatics Sportsbook)
Jordan Vucenic vs. Chris Duncan: Fight goes the distance (+140, FanDuel)
Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan Charriere: Fight doesn’t go the distance (+184, FanDuel)
Jai Herbert vs. Chris Padilla: Padilla ML (-105, DraftKings)
Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Felipe dos Santos: Fight doesn’t go the distance (+165, Fanatics Sportsbook)
Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin: Fight goes to decision (-105, DraftKings)
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Andrey Pulyaev: Duncan wins in over one round (-120, DraftKings)
Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar: Pass
Nathan Fletcher vs. Caolan Loughran: Fletcher ML (-125, ESPN BET)
Guram Kutateladze vs. Kaue Fernandes: Kutateladze by decision (-110, BetRivers)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
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