‘Unbreakable’ Khamzat Chimaev UFC record broken by Sean Brady in dominant beatdown against Leon Edwards

UFC star Sean Brady breaks Khamzat Chimaev's control time record following his dominating win against Leon Edwards.

‘Unbreakable’ Khamzat Chimaev UFC record broken by Sean Brady in dominant beatdown against Leon Edwards

Sean Brady breaks Khamzat Chimaev's record at UFC London (via Imago/Instagram)

The UFC roster is filled with dominant wrestlers who effortlessly dismantle their opponents with relentless grappling and submission skills. At UFC London, top welterweight Sean Brady, showcased his wrestling prowess by finishing the former champion Leon Edwards. During his victory, Brady surpassed one of Khamzat Chimaev’s records, setting a new milestone that will be extremely difficult to break.

Brady’s well-executed strategy ultimately proved superior against Edwards inside the octagon. Brady outstruck Edwards throughout the fight, maintaining pressure before securing a fourth-round guillotine choke submission, decisively ending the bout in dominant fashion. In the second round, the Philly native controlled Edwards for 4 minutes and 57 seconds, breaking Chimaev’s record in the process. 

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Khamzat Chimaev set a UFC record in 2020 by dominating John Phillips with 4 minutes and 55 seconds of control time. Before Chimaev, UFC legend Chael Sonnen held the record with 4 minutes and 53 seconds of control against Nate Marquardt. Both fighters showcased superior wrestling skills, overwhelming their opponents with relentless pressure and positional dominance inside the octagon.

The key difference between Chimaev and Brady lies in competition level, as Chimaev dominated Phillips, while Brady overwhelmed a former UFC champion. Brady completely shut down Edwards and made him look helpless. It was a total beatdown as ‘Rocky,’ failed to land a single strike in that round against the surging welterweight contender.

Fans had seen something like this at UFC 304 when Belal Muhammad took Edwards on a ride and dominated him. However, this loss was even worse, leaving fans doubtful about his potential comeback. On the other hand, Brady has raised multiple eyebrows, and it can lead to some interesting bouts. 

Former UFC champion wants to fight Sean Brady 

The UFC welterweight division is filled with absolute killers who are eager to get their hands on the title. Belal Muhammad is the current reigning champion scheduled to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Other top fighters, such as Shavkat Rakhmonv, are in the line for title opportunities, keeping fans excited.

Sean Brady dominates Leon Edwards at UFC London
Sean Brady dominates Leon Edwards at UFC London (via Instagram)

With his recent win, Sean Brady has also opened up opportunities to fight for the title soon. After the bout, he called out Joaquin Buckley and the former champion Kamaru Usman for a potential fight. Usman, who last fought at UFC 294, was extremely impressed by Brady’s performance and is ready for the scrap. 

When you look at styles, the way that fights works, myself and Colby Covington, what did everyone say, oh they’re both wrestlers oh they’re both economical fighters…. We cancel each other out, we ain’t even try to grapple, let’s bang it out. So, hey this has a potential to be one of those fights. I like Sean Brady, I like the way he approaches the game.

Kamaru Usman via Pound 4 Pound Podcast 
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Usman, in his prime, was unstoppable and had an incredibly dominant era as the champion. However, his last few bouts were disappointing, but he has not lost any confidence. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see the veteran go against a young blood like Brady.

The criticism around control time in UFC 

While control time is a dominant way to subdue opponents and establish superiority inside the octagon, it is often criticized. Many UFC fans dislike control time and wrestling because it slows fights down, making them less exciting and action-packed for casual viewers. Fighters relying on prolonged top control without delivering significant damage often criticized for being overly cautious. 

Control time in UFC
Control time in UFC (via X)

Merab Dvalishvili‘s fight against Sean O’Malley saw him dominate with wrestling, leading to fan frustration over the fight’s slow pace. Similarly, Islam Makhachev‘s first win against former champion Alexander Volkanovski was also questioned due to getting benefitted by control time.

In contrast, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre’s aggressive wrestling, ground strikes, and submissions made their dominance more entertaining. It could also be why many fans adore GSP and ‘The Eagle’, compared to their present counterparts. Only time will tell if Sean Brady can overcome the stigma, and make fans fall in love with his grappling.

Related: 10 Best Triangle Choke finishes in the history of UFC