Headlining UFC Fight Night 242 was a welterweight showdown between [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] and former title challenger Gilbert Burns. Over five rounds, Brady dominated Burns in all aspects of the game to pick up one of the biggest wins of his career.
Entering the week at No. 9, Brady takes Burns’ former spot at No. 7.
At Bellator Champions Series: San Diego, [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] defended his lightweight title against Alexander Shabliy. Coming into the week at No. 7 in the 155-pound rankings, the victory moves Nurmagomedov up to the No. 6 spot, bumping Beneil Dariush down.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.
Is Sean Brady a legit threat to the UFC welterweight title after Saturday’s win over Gilbert Burns? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] logged a big win Saturday – arguably the biggest of his career.
The rising welterweight contender beat former title challenger [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] with a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 242 main event in Las Vegas. The result vastly altered the landscape at the top of the UFC’s welterweight division and opened new bout possibilities.
With this result, can Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) be considered a serious threat to the belt? What’s next for Burns (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) after his third consecutive loss?
MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss Brady’s dominant win over Burns, along with other key results from UFC Fight Night 242.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
On the latest episode of Spinning Back Clique, we discuss Sean Brady’s win over Gilbert Burns, Demetrious Johnson’s retirement, UFC 306, and more.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
A couple of fresh faces stepped into title contention, while a couple of veterans were set back. Saturday at UFC Fight Night 242, [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] picked up a big win, dominating [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] to win a unanimous decision in the main event. [autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag] also earned a win on the scorecards against former champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]. We discuss those two key wins, along with other highlights from the card.
UFC wasn’t the only brand in action. Bellator Champions Series: San Diego saw [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] defend his lightweight title in the main event. Former UFC contender [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] picked up a big KO win over Levan Chokheli, cementing himself as a No. 1 contender. What’s next for Nurmagomedov? Can Larkin become champion at 38? We discuss.
A legend of the game decided to hang up the gloves. Former UFC and ONE flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] announced his retirement. Where does Johnson rank among the all-time greats? What legacy does he leave behind? We look back at the career of “Mighty Mouse” and his impact on MMA.
For our final segment, we look ahead to UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The card, which celebrates Mexican Independence Day weekend, features two title fights: [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Merab Dvlashvili[/autotag] in the main event, and [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] 3 in the co-main. We analyze the pair of championship fights, along with other featured bouts on the card.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] continues to prove his lone loss to Belal Muhammad won’t define him by climbing further up the rankings in the UFC Fight Night 242 main event.
Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) took his value as a welterweight contender to the next level Saturday with a unanimous decision win over former title challenger Burns (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
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Since losing to Muhammad in October 2022, Brady has now rebounded with back-to-back winning performances against Burns and Kelvin Gastelum. He’s now going big-game hunting, and called for Ian Machado Garry or Colby Covington next in the aftermath of his effort.
Will Brady get either of those matchups, though, or is he best suited in another direction? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after the UFC Fight Night 242 main event.
UFC Fight Night 242 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $157,500.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC Fight Night 242 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 242 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2421 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Coming off a dominant win over Gilbert Burns, Sean Brady wants to fight Ian Machado Garry or Colby Covington next.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] or [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]. Those are the two names [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] wants following his latest win in the octagon.
This past Saturday, Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) defeated former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in a dominant unanimous decision win. The welterweight bout headlined UFC Fight Night 242 at the UFC Apex.
In his in-cage post-fight interview, Brady called out Garry, but then in the post-fight press conference, he added one more name to the request.
“I just think Ian thinks he’s God’s gift to earth, and he’s not, and I feel like everyone in this sport feel the same way,” Brady told reporters backstage. “I’ll fight him. I’ll fight Colby (Covington). I think Colby is the easiest matchup in the division. I’ll piece him up on the feet. I’ll rag doll him.
“I’d like to fight Ian – he’s an up and comer. I’m a little bit older than him, but I want to be here for a long time. He’s undefeated and he’s got some hype. Before, he said that he won’t fight guys ranked behind him, but I’ll be ranked ahead of him on Tuesday with that No. 6 spot. So yeah, maybe I’ll let him fight me. We’ll see how that goes.”
Brady is expecting a child with his wife in February, and he’d like to log in one more fight before then. When asked if he thinks Garry or Covington would take fights with him, Brady felt good about his chances.
“You can’t really turn down too many opportunities,” Brady said. “I’m going to go home, asses my bumps and bruises, and we’ll see where we’re at. But Colby or Ian Garry sounds like a fun one. Maybe December or early January. Like I said, before February 13th.”
Sean Brady dominated Gilbert Burns in a highly entertaining UFC main event.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] proved he’s among the elite of the UFC welterweight elite Saturday as he dominated a former title challenger from bell to bell.
In the UFC Fight Night 242 main event, Brady (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) defeated [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Brady’s game plan from the start was the make getting a hold of Burns a priority. He pushed the pace and shoved Burns against the fence. Burns largely fended off the takedown attempts.
Burns tagged Brady numerous times in the fight, in particular during Round 3. In the seconds afterward, Brady finally got the takedown he was seeking.
Round 4 was choppy, divided by timeouts due to illegal groin shots by both men. Brady went back to his grinding game plan and pushed Burns against the fence. Burns, as he did earlier in the fight, did an excellent job of utilizing muay Thai strikes to break the grasp, even if the escape only lasted a few seconds. The final two minutes were grapple-heavy with some momentum-shifting sweeps and scrambles.
Both men dug deep in the final round. Burns half-landed a big flying knee, but Brady caught hold of him and eventually got him down to the canvas. Brady finished the fight on top – and ultimately earned 14 of the 15 round scorecards from the three judges scoring.
After the fight, Brady called for his next matchup to be vs. a top-five opponent, or Ian Machado Garry.
With the victory, Brady picks up his biggest victory to date over a former UFC title challenger. Brady has now won back-to-back fights since his lone career loss, a TKO defeat to now-champion Belal Muhammad.
In defeat, Burns has lost three fights in a row. Defeats to Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena accompany the loss to Brady. At 38, it’s his longest skid of his professional career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 242 results include:
Sean Brady def. Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45)
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242 odds between Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady, with MMA picks and predictions.
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In a 5-round welterweight bout in the main event, Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 242 — also known as UFC on ESPN+ 100 and UFC Vegas 97 — at UFC Apex. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 242: Burns vs. Brady odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Records: Burns (22-7-0) | Brady (16-1-0)
Burns heads into this one in a bit of a tailspin, as he was knocked out in Round 3 at UFC 299 by Jack Della Maddalena, and he was stopped via unanimous decision against Belal Muhammad at UFC 288. He hasn’t won since a UD victory against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287 in April 2023.
Burns has ended up going the distance in 4 of his past 6 fights since losing a title bout to Kamaru Usman at UFC 258 in Feb. 2021, going 3-3 in those outings.
For Brady, he bounced back from a KO/TKO loss to Muhammad at UFC 280 with a 3rd-round kimura submission victory against Kelvin Gastelum. He has had 4 stoppages in the past 5 fights, with a lone unanimous-decision victory over Michael Chiesa Nov. 20, 2021, as the only fight to go the distance in the span.
Brady has a slight 1-inch reach advantage, while youth is also on his side at 31, as opposed to 38 years of age for Burns. Brady holds a slight 3.77-to-3.28 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, and he is more accurate with those strikes at 64.78%, to just 56.29% for the Brazilian.
Both are pretty solid on takedowns, as Brady’s average is 3.29, while Burns checks in at 2.24. As far as submission average, Brady is well ahead with a 1.21 mark, to just 0.50 for the veteran.
Brady (-184) is a little on the expensive side, costing nearly 2 times your potential return. That’s way too much risk for not nearly enough reward, so let’s get a little more specific.
The favorite is an absolute beast of a wrestler, and if he can get Burns (+154) to the canvas, it won’t end well for the 38-year-old.
Let’s back BRADY BY SUBMISSION (+1000) on the 7-way method of victory line for a chance to multiply our wagers by 10 times. Taking BRADY BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+225) on the 5-way line gives you a few more avenues to a winning ticket, but still at plus-money.
NO (-110): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is a solid play, as I expect this one to end in a Brady victory and hopefully a submission for a massive payday.
In addition, UNDER 4.5 ROUNDS (+104) is worth a look at plus-money in the event Brady is aggressive early, getting the underdog to the mat quickly.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
The main event for the UFC’s latest home show is official after the headliners made weight Friday.
LAS VEGAS – The main event for the UFC’s latest home show is official after the headliners made weight Friday.
Ahead of UFC Fight Night 242 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex, former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (22-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC) and [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.
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Check out the video from their trips to the scale above, where both men registered at 171 pounds.
Supplemental info:
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt (2nd degree)
+ 4x Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion
+ Multiple grappling accolades (in and out of the gi)
+ 6 KO victories
+ 9 submission wins
+ 11 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Improved overall striking flow
^ Dangerous counter right hand
+ Strikes well off the breaks
+ Solid wrestling ability
^ Offensively and defensively
+ Superb transitional grappler
^ Works well from top or bottom
Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA title
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ 3 KO victories
+ 5 submission wins
+ 3 first-round finishes
+ Improved overall striking
^ Good countering sensibilities
+ Accurate left hook
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Strong in side the clinch
^ Works well from bodylock
+ Solid wrestling ability
^ Offensively and defensively
+ Excellent positional grappling
^ Superb from topside or when riding cageside
Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady point of interest: The cost of counters
Oct 22, 2022; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Belal Muhammad (red gloves) and Sean Brady (blue gloves) during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Kidwell-USA TODAY Sports
The main event this Saturday features two fighters who are familiar with the cost of counters.
Aside from the looming takedown threat that [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] brings to the table, the Philadelphia native has developed a taste for countering while striking on the feet.
Traditionally taking more of a backfoot approach, Brady appears to be okay with allowing his opponents to come to him.
Although Brady can work into the pocket behind his lead hand when he needs to, the Marquez MMA product prefers counter in combination (taking takedowns when available). Brady also has a solid left hook that’s effective both coming forward and off the counter, but can sometimes be countered himself when overthrowing his favored weapon.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brady pressure a bit more in this fight given that it’s in the smaller octagon, he’ll just have to be on his best behavior against a potent pocket presence like [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag].
An accomplished grappler who immersed himself in all facets of martial arts, Burns has steadily become a formidable threat on the feet.
Another fighter under the care of coach Hooft, we have seen “Durinho” build upon his pressuring sensibilities in the striking department. Whether he’s working off of his jab or his opponent’s, Burns always seems to have a heavy right hook chambered in the rear, as he typically looks to inch his way forward with offense that’s wired on a hair-trigger.
Against Demian Maia, Burns demonstrated improved defense with his head movement en route to slipping a punch and landing a slick left hook over the lead shoulder of his southpaw counterpart. Burns, who is a solid leg kicker in his own right, has also shown signs of improving his defensive awareness in regards to both checking and countering leg kicks thrown his way.
Nevertheless, checking jabs and counter-crosses have traditionally been the common culprit for Burns standing, so he, too, will need to respect the striking skills of his counterpart this Saturday.
Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady breakdown: Winning the wrestling
Mar 9, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Jack Della Maddalena (blue gloves) fights Gilbert Burns (red gloves) during UFC 299 at Kayesa Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Considering where both Burns and Brady have traditionally been most dangerous from, winning the wrestling will be paramount for both parties this weekend.
Although it should be obvious with his brick house build, Brady has made a reputation for himself as an insanely strong positional grappler who feels like a gorilla in closed quarters.
Wielding some serviceable takedown chops, Brady demonstrates a solid attack process, particularly when working from a bodylock. Whether Brady is manipulating a standing leg or is looking to hit shuck-bys toward the back, the Renzo Gracie representative chains his moves well when working along the fence, flowing from takedowns to positional rides like clockwork.
And once Brady establishes one of his favored positions, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is both patient and methodical when it comes to bottlenecking opposition into his preferred submissions. However, I’ll be curious to see how deep Brady is looking to take grappling exchanges given the skills of his current counterpart.
Burns, who is the more accoladed submission grappler on paper, will be one of the few fighters in the division who should be able to compete with Brady irrespective of any size or strength differences.
I say this all the time, but not all black belts are created equal, and Burns is a prime example of that. An IBJJF world champion both in and out of the gi, Burns was able to translate his brand of grappling quickly into the MMA space.
More importantly, Burns was not afraid to work with wrestling influences from standouts like Greg Jones to catch wrestling coaches like Neil Melanson. Integrating these crucial styles into his repertoire, there are now little-to-no positions that Burns is not comfortable or capable of working from.
Whether he is defending takedowns along the fence and striking off the breaks or hitting sweet trips and chaining takedowns of his own, Burns’ wrestling improvements remain to be one the things that quietly impresses me most. However, as underrated as that part of his game may be, taking down Brady could be difficult given his stout stature and solid scrambling abilities.
Even though I’m hoping to see some prolonged grappling exchanges between these two, I suspect that the interactions could be short and sweet (especially through the first half of the fight).
Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady odds
Despite the oddsmakers opening this fight as a pick’em, public money has come in on the American, listing Brady -186 and Burns +146 via FanDuel.
Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady prediction, pick
Mar 9, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Jack Della Maddalena (blue gloves) fights Gilbert Burns (red gloves) during UFC 299 at Kayesa Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Although I lined this fight closer to the opening odds, I’m not shocked to see MMA gamblers, once again, looking to fade the older fighter.
Burns has certainly accrued a lot of combat sports miles if you include his grappling experience and I wouldn’t push back on anyone who considers the former title challenger to be in the post-primes stages of his career. That said, I don’t think that the bottom has shown signs of dropping out just yet from this battle-tested Brazilian.
Aside from the fact that Burns has only lost to the best names in this division, the 38-year-old veteran has shown steady progress in everything from his fighting skills to his strength and conditioning in this latter stretch at 170 pounds.
If Brady is unable to neutralize Burns’ submission and scrambling prowess with his blanketing rides and wrestling, then I suspect we’ll be in for a tit-for-tat striking match between two grapplers. And if that’s the sort of fight get this weekend, then I have to slightly favor Burns.
Not only is Burns the more potent striker and proven product, but I see his counter right hand being particularly effective in this fight considering Brady’s past propensities of having his left hook countered. Add in the fact that Brady still seems hardwired to strike off the backfoot, and I suspect that the smaller octagon will be kinder to the Burns side of the equation given the kind of chaos it encourages.
I’m excited to see what kind of fight this brings out of Brady, but I can’t help but see Burns’ counters having a ton of play in this fight. The pick is Burns by knockout in Round 2.
Prediction: Burns inside the distance
Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady start time, where to watch
As the main event, Burns and Brady are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET. The entire card streams live on ESPN+.
