Sean Brady and Michael Morales are set to butt heads in a fight that could reshape their standing in the UFC’s welterweight division. The duo of former champions, Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, weighed in on the upcoming fight at UFC 322. However, both UFC veterans had different takes as to how this welterweight fight pans out at Madison Square Garden.

For Henry Cejudo, this welterweight fight is a test for Michael Morales and a chance to prove that he “is the real deal.” While ‘Triple C’ hailed the Ecuadorian for his craftiness in the striking game, Sean Brady’s well-roundedness may come in handy against him. However, Kamaru Usman claims the fight is not going to go down how most people think it will.

Kamaru Usman predicts a “close” fight with only one way for Sean Brady to beat Michael Morales

Standing at 5 feet and 10 inches tall, Sean Brady isn’t the most physically imposing welterweight fighter. Compared to his upcoming opponent, Michael Morales, he’s two inches shorter in height and six and a half inches shorter in reach. So, Kamaru Usman believes it’s not going to be an easy task for the American Top Team star at UFC 322. “I think this fight’s closer than most people think… because Michael Morales… that’s a big dude,” ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ stated on the Pound 4 Pound podcast.

Sean Brady has shown his strength in taking down his opponent, but the only qualm Kamaru Usman has is that we have never witnessed him taking on an opponent the size of Michael Morales. So, that’s one thing to watch out for, and the other thing that Brady needs to keep in mind, according to the former champion, is the fact that he needs to keep the fight in his court using his ground game.

“That’s a big a– dude to be able to deal with, to handle, and to really kind of control. Sean Brady definitely is strong enough… he’s capable of being able to do that [control]. It’s just we haven’t seen it done yet. And until we see it, then everyone’s going to be like, ‘Oh, you can control that dude like that. You can do what you want with him down there like that,'” Usman added. “I believe Sean Brady, of course, has the shot here to basically win and finish this fight if he’s able to get the fight down to the ground.”

To be fair, Brady’s last fight was against former champion Leon Edwards, who was 6’2″. He took ‘Rocky’ down and controlled him handily, eventually getting a fourth-round submission. The 32-year-old is far more experienced than his 26-year-old opponent.

Well, some fans may be wondering why Sean Brady, who’s ranked #3 in the rankings, is taking on someone outside of the top 5. Michael Morales is ranked #8 in the division. So it does not make sense for someone who’s one win away from a title fight to fight him.

Brady had no other choice but to fight Morales

With less than a month to go for UFC 322, Sean Brady shed some light on what happened behind the scenes before the offer for the Michael Morales fight fell on his lap. The 32-year-old revealed that the UFC did not have any other fight for him, and instead of sitting on the sidelines, he decided to go ahead and accept this fight. “I took this fight because fighters fight, and there’s literally no other options,” Brady stated during an interview with SteadyPicks.

The welterweight top-2 indicated that he wished to stay active, and as per the UFC, he may have had to sit out for the rest of the year if he hadn’t picked Morales. “From what the UFC told me, this is it. This is the only guy I could fight, or else I wasn’t fighting until next year. I’ve been trying to fight, and no matter what, we’re going to have to fight all these guys regardless,” Sean Brady added.

Well, Sean Brady is in luck because fans are interested in watching how he fares against the up-and-comer. Dana White has received praise for his matchmaking this time. But is Usman right? Is grappling the only way for Brady to get the win at UFC 322?

Let us know who you think comes out on top, Brady or Michael Morales, at UFC 322.