UFC Fight Night Picks: Edwards vs. Brady & Blachowicz vs. Ulberg Predictions

UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady Picks
When: Saturday, March 22, 2025
Where: O2 Arena, London, England
TV: ESPN+

Fight Analysis:

UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady is an important card out of London, where two former champions will be put in tough spots to see if they still belong near the top or if it’s time to make room for new blood. Former UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards will fight for the first time since losing his belt to Belal Muhammad last July, taking on a tough contender in Sean Brady. Meanwhile, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz looks to get back into the title mix at 205 pounds, but standing in his way is rising contender Carlos Ulberg, who is on a 7-fight win streak and won’t be easily dissuaded. Let’s break these fights down!

Leon Edwards, 22-4 (7 KOs, 3 Submissions), (+115) vs. Sean Brady, 17-1 (3 KOs, 5 Submissions), (-135)
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards takes on Sean Brady in a critical 170-pound match in the main event of UFC Fight Night. While Edwards is the more-known commodity on the heels of a string of high-profile fights, he is just a year older than the Philadelphian Brady at 33. On one hand, we’re conditioned to acknowledge the advancing age and mileage of a fighter like Edwards in a sport with such high turnover at the top. At the same time, one must acknowledge a few facts. One is that Edwards is just one fight removed from being the champion, falling to a unique smothering fighter in Muhammad, who also beat Brady in 2022. And it’s still a jump in class for Brady, who despite having some good wins, is pretty unproven at this level.

While being a former champion coming back 9 months after dropping your belt doesn’t leave Edwards in the most-appealing spot, I’m not sure I like the way Brady enters this fight. At a time when in-octagon activity would have seemed to be the right call, he had just one fight apiece from 2022-2024, going 2-1 with the loss to Muhammad and wins over a couple of big names, but spent forces in Kelvin Gastelum and Gilbert Burns.

Not that Brady isn’t a very good fighter or ready for a test of this nature, but from a match-up standpoint, there are some concerning aspects. He’s taking on a guy in Edwards who is not only suited to go five rounds, but a guy who has continually thrived late in fights, with some of his best moments happening in the fourth and fifth rounds. Brady has not scored a stoppage via strikes during his entire UFC tenure, though he has scored some nice submissions. Edwards, though, has never been quelled by a submission. And in his biggest test, Brady was stopped by Muhammad via strikes, and that was Muhammad’s only KO or TKO win in nine years.

Whether Edwards again ascends to the top of the welterweight division is an iffy proposition. What’s less of a question is whether or not Edwards is finished. And while there is some comedown after a run as champion and now trying to climb back to that spot, I suspect Edwards is still one of the toughest guys to beat in the division. Neither guy is known to be the most exciting fighter, but I suspect an evenly-contested 5-round bout, with the class, experience, and variety of Edwards getting him the win. I’ll take Edwards.

My Pick to Win: I’m betting on Leon Edwards at +115 betting odds. The Bovada line in this fight has some value, with Edwards fetching a small underdog quote in a fight where it seems plausible that he can use his experience and ability to nullify his opponent to good effect.

Jan Blachowicz, 29-10-1 (9 KOs, 9 Submissions), (+178) vs. Carlos Ulberg, 11-1 (7 KOs, 1 Submission), (-215)
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz takes on rising and dangerous contender Carlos Ulberg in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 255. The former light heavyweight kingpin is looking to return to the lucrative title picture. After winning the vacant title in 2020 and defending it once in an upset win over Israel Adesanya, he lost the belt. But he rebounded well, with a win over Alexander Rakic and then fighting a draw with current champion Magomed Ankalaev. Then, in ’23, he lost a split decision to Alex Pereira. All told, he has taken on everyone at light heavyweight and has never been embarrassed, scoring some huge wins along the way. A forgotten man by some at 205 pounds, he’s still right near the top, with a win here putting him that much closer to another title shot.

It won’t be easy with a fighter as dangerous as Ulberg. At 34. Ulberg is 8 years younger than Blachowicz, getting up there at 42. Ulberg has had an interesting career, fighting as a boxer and kickboxer, along with being a mixed martial artist. Despite his pro career going all the way back to 2011, he only got serious about MMA starting around 2020. Known as a great striker and dangerous fighter, his UFC career got off to a disastrous start, suffering a bad KO loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu in 2021. He has since rattled off seven straight wins, restored his confidence, and re-established himself as a dangerous X-factor at 205 pounds.

It’s a tough fight to call, with both being in the same organization and weight class but sort of operating in different realms. Blachowicz has been taking on champions and contenders, while Ulberg has been building up by beating lesser likes—unproven fighters on the UFC roster or diminished contenders. But Ulberg is a fast pure striker, and any analysis can be rendered moot if he’s able to zero in and start unloading those vicious combinations.

I can see the angle against Blachowicz and those who suspect his window at the top has perhaps closed. Still, when one looks at the vicious strikers he has previously stood up to, with Blachowicz fighting all these top light heavyweights without adverse effects, it’s clear that it’s not as easy as it may seem. I can even understand the betting line in this one, which, on the surface, seems disrespectful to Blachowicz. Once a fighter is this deep into his forties and has one win in his last four fights, one can usually expect diminished returns. But Blachowicz has been fighting the best and hasn’t been that far off, even when he has come up short. I think he has another good one in him and is a decent value at this price. I’ll take Blachowicz.

My Pick to Win: I’m betting on Jan Blachowicz at +178 betting odds. The Bovada line in this fight has some good value for the more experienced and proven Blachowicz. Ulberg is a dangerous striker who can end a fight at any time, but Blachowicz isn’t easy to stop, and I picture him using his diversified skills to nose out Ulberg in what should be a good fight.