UFC London predictions: Full card picks for Edwards vs. Brady

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+.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)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.

Blachowic...