Sean Brady left UFC 328 with a win over Joaquin Buckley and a clear message for the welterweight division: he wants a step up in competition.
Brady, fighting on the main card at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., rebounded from a stoppage loss to Michael Morales at UFC 322 by defeating Buckley and immediately turning his attention to higher-ranked names and former champions.
"Everybody wants a title shot," Brady said, before outlining the type of matchup he believes he’s earned. "I'd fight (Kamaru) Usman because he's a former champion. I think that would make sense. I heard he's going up to middleweight. I've fought back. I beat Leon Edwards – I was the No. 1 contender. I fought Morales – I just fought back again."
Brady made it clear he believes his next move should be toward the top of the division. "I deserve to fight up so, we'll see how it plays out. I would love to fight in Philly, but it's got to make sense for me, man. I'm 33 years old. I'm getting better and better every time I go out there, and I want to be a UFC champion, and I'm just trying to inch my way toward that."
He also named Carlos Prates as a willing option. "I would fight Prates, 100 percent," Brady said. "I've asked for that fight before. Yeah, let's do it."
