Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady work towards the same goals at different career stages. Burns rallies for one last run to the welterweight title while Brady looks to kickstart his first campaign. Their careers intersect at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.
A decorated grappler with powerful strikes, Burns (22-7) has been elite since moving full-time to welterweight in 2019. He challenged Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title two years later but fell short. Burns has generally performed well even in defeat. He arguably gave Khamzat Chimaev his toughest fight and was en route to beating Jack Della Maddalena in March before losing via a Hail Mary knockout. Burns, 38, is realistic about the time he has left to piece together another to the title.
"I still have a couple of good fights," Burns told CBS Sports. "I believe I will beat Sean Brady on Saturday night and run into one of the guys in the top five to get a No. 1 contenders match. I still have a lot of fight in me. I'm 38 but I take care of myself. I don't drink, go out or use any drugs. I take care of myself and my family. I'm 38 but realistically I feel like 33 or 32. I still have another run in the title."
Brady (16-1) looked like a potential future title challenger before running into Belal Muhammad in October 2022. That loss aged well considering Muhammad later became UFC welterweight champion but being Muhammad's first TKO victim in six years is concerning. Brady bounced back well by submitting long-in-the-tooth interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. Brady might be the most physical grappler at 170 pounds, a tool he'll test against the UFC welterweight top 15's best jiu-jitsu player.
"My grappling will pose a threat to all of these guys," Brady told CBS Sports. "I think the fact no one has seen much of my striking will play a big factor. I've been training hard and improving a lot. The world really hasn't seen my entire game yet. I think I match up well against all of these guys.
"He definitely hits hard but I think everybody above 155 pounds punches hard. He has good striking but he has a lot of deficiencies in his striking defense... He's a decorated grappler and he's good everywhere."
Check out the full interview with Gilbert Burns below.
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the latest odds before we get to a prediction and pick on the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Brady -190 | Gilbert Burns +160 | Welterweight |
| Natalia Silva -320 | Jessica Andrade +250 | Women's flyweight |
| Steve Garcia -180 | Kyle Nelson +155 | Featherweight |
| Cody Durden -300 | Matt Schnell +240 | Bantamweight |
| Trevor Peek -125 | Yanal Ashmouz +105 | Lightweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: Sept. 7 | Start time: 7 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex -- Las Vegas
TV channel: ESPN+
Prediction
Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady: If Brady gets his hand raised it won't be a fun watch. Brady's clearest path to victory is neutralizing Burns on the ground. Brady averages more than one takedown per round and has been lauded by his opponents for his physical strength. If the fight goes five rounds, he'll likely capitalize on Burns' 50% takedown defense. Burns and Brady have not been submitted in 29 and 17 professional fights, respectively. Burns isn't the most technically proficient striker but has more technical striking skill and power than Muhammad. If Muhammad can KO Brady then Burns sure can. Considering Burns has not registered a striking stoppage in four years, I'm inclined to side with Brady over the long haul. Brady via Unanimous Decision
