Sean Brady’s welterweight return set for UFC 322 vs. ferocious KO artist

UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady will face one of the division’s brightest young stars in hopes of securing a title shot.

Sean Brady seemed destined for the next welterweight title shot against the Jack Della Maddalena/Islam Makhachev winner after his stoppage win over Leon Edwards earlier this year. But months after his career-best win at UFC London, Brady will face another top contender on the UFC 322 undercard.

Brady has won three consecutive fights since suffering his first-career defeat to Belal Muhammad at UFC 280. Before submitting Edwards in March, Brady defeated Gilbert Burns and Kelvin Gastelum in back-to-back fights to return to the welterweight title mix.

As Maddalena and Makhachev prepare to fight in the next welterweight title bout at UFC 322, Brady will face one of the division’s hottest contenders in hopes of securing the next shot at the belt.

Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales added to stacked card at UFC 322

As first reported by MMA Latinoamérica on Monday, Brady will face the undefeated Michael Morales at UFC 322 next month at Madison Square Garden. The matchup was later confirmed by MMA journalist Marcel Dorff.

Morales returns to the Octagon amid a torrid start to his MMA career. Unbeaten through 18 professional fights, Morales most recently defeated Burns by TKO in May to earn a spot in the welterweight Top 15.

Morales has defeated the likes of Neil Magny, Jake Matthews, and Max Griffin during his career. UFC CEO Dana White compared Morales to Anderson Silva immediately after his Dana White’s Contender Series performance in 2021.

UFC 322 features plenty of intriguing fights, including the co-main event between UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko against Zhang Weili. Weili opted to vacate her strawweight belt for a chance to dethrone Shevchenko, in one of the biggest fights in women’s MMA history.

The Brady vs. Morales booking means top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov’s return timeline remains uncertain. The undefeated Rakhmonov hasn’t fought since defeating Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310, before suffering a major injury in training.