🗣️Sean Brady: “If [Islam] is gonna move up,
then me and Ian are fighting. I know that’s the fight to make.
That’s just the way I see it.” đź‘€
🎥@arielhelwani
pic.twitter.com/emxxATfU6K— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
May 12, 2025
Sean
Brady doesn’t want Islam
Makhachev to move up to 170 pounds, but he can’t deny the
lightweight champ his due.
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While Makhachev has been eyeing a welterweight move for a while,
his friend Belal
Muhammad stood in the way as the champ. However, that changed
last Saturday at UFC 315,
as Jack
Della Maddalena dethroned Muhammad via unanimous
decision.
Makhachev immediately doubled down on his welterweight plans,
although Dana White didn’t confirm that the Dagestani is getting
the next shot at 170 pounds. Top contender Brady doesn’t want
Makhachev to move up, as he thinks the champ still has competition
left at 155 pounds.
Another concern for Brady is whether Makhachev will be actively
defending his welterweight belt if he wins the title. However,
Brady admits that if Makhachev wants to move up, there is no
denying the champ who has defended his lightweight strap four
times.
And if Makhachev gets the next gold bid at welterweight, Brady
wants to be matched up against fellow contender Ian Garry in
a potential title eliminator.
“I would rather see him stay where he’s at and kind of clean out
155… There’s still guys at 155 and then you got Ilia trying to
come up,” Brady told Ariel Helwani. “But then again on the other
hand, he’s done so much. If he’s gonna move up, is he gonna stay
there though? Because now you’re holding up two divisions. So if
he’s gonna move up, then me and Ian are fighting. I know that’s the
fight to make.”
Brady’s lone career loss came against Muhammad in 2022. He has
since bounced back with a three-fight winning streak and is fresh
off a submission win over former champ Leon
Edwards. Meanwhile, Garry recently bounced back from his only
career loss against Shavkat
Rakhmonov by derailing Carlos
Prates’ hype train.