What’s more frustrating than a top contender still having to prove his worth for a title shot? Well, that’s exactly the situation for Sean Brady, the current No. 1 welterweight contender, who is eligible for a title fight but must still wait. This week, the American star will defend his position against the No. 8 contender, Michael Morales. Fans will get to witness this matchup live at the packed Madison Square Garden on November 15.

The event will also be highlighted by several welterweight bouts, including the title fight between champion Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. Moreover, the main card will feature another welterweight clash between Leon Edwards and Carlos Prates. For analysts, Sean Brady’s position among the contenders is considered very “risky.” Recently, Brady has finally broken his silence, revealing why he agreed to take on Michael Morales.

Sean Brady wants to “beat people up”

With just a few days remaining before UFC 322, Sean Brady appeared on the Kairouz Bros YouTube channel alongside twin brothers Jon-Bernard and Nick Kairouz. During the discussion, the elder Kairouz asked, “Sean, you didn’t need to take this fight. What was the motivation behind taking this fight?”As the number one contender, Brady made it clear that he accepted the fight because it’s his job to fight.

The 32-year-old explained, “You know, I don’t want to sit around wasting time. Um, you only get older. You only have so much time in this sport. I want to fight. I want to beat people up. And, uh, yeah, I’m, that’s what I’m here to do.”

But the hurdles for Brady go beyond Morales. Ian Garry vs. Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar is a #1 contender’s fight for many. When pressed further about whether he was concerned that, despite his top ranking, he still had to fight to earn a title shot at Madison Square Garden, Sean Brady confirmed that he is “fine,” with fighting again [after UFC 322].

He told Jon-Bernard Kairouz, “I want to get the title. I’m going to get the title, but it’s not my one focus. I want to fight, continue to fight, and then, um, I’ll show people why I deserve to fight for the belt. Whether it’s this fight or two more fights from now, it is what it is.”

Brady’s words seem deliberate. He refuses to let his career follow the same path as reigning heavyweight kingpin Tom Aspinall or Michael Chandler, who spent their prime waiting for big fights. Instead, Sean Brady wants to remain active and compete regularly. He even called out Kamaru Usman for sitting out and waiting to be handed a title opportunity.

He said of Usman on the Weighing In podcast, “He’s saying, he’s fighting for the belt next. I’m like, ‘You had a good win against Buckley, don’t get me wrong, but now what, you’re gonna sit out and wait for a title shot? I don’t think it should work like that. Like you said, winning solves everything. He has won one fight. If I go out and win more fights than him. I’ll get it next.” 

His last fight came in March against Leon Edwards, and soon after, he pushed for a matchup with Ian Garry, his most desired opponent, a fight he had wanted for over a year. However, Ian Garry reportedly passed on the opportunity, adding to Sean Brady’s well-known frustration. Recently, the American spoke out about the situation and weighed in on the Ian Garry matchup. Was Garry really “ducking” him?

Sean Brady breaks the silence on Ian Garry “running away” from the fight

Ian Garry quickly established himself as one of the most promising welterweight contenders, emerging from the Irish MMA scene following in the footsteps of Conor McGregor. Throughout his early career, Garry maintained an undefeated record, cementing his reputation as a top-tier Irish fighter. However, in December of last year, his 15-fight win streak was broken when he accepted a short-notice matchup against the top-ranked, undefeated future star Shavkat Rakhmonov, who carried a perfect finish rate.

During the fight, Garry exposed weaknesses in Rakhmonov’s game. Although he ultimately lost, his performance earned widespread praise from fans and critics, as Rakhmonov was unable to secure a finish and had to settle for a decision victory. Garry also managed to injure Rakhmonov’s leg, and since that bout, Rakhmonov has been sidelined, recovering from knee surgery. Responding to claims that Ian Garry was “ducking” him, Sean Brady addressed the matter while speaking to Jon-Bernard Kairouz.

“I never said he ran away from me,” Sean Brady explained. “I just said, um, that it just didn’t come together. Um, whether that was him negotiating stuff, I really don’t know. But, uh, I was offered that fight two times and, uh, it never happened. So I don’t think Ian Garry’s scared. He fought Shavkat on like two weeks’ notice, so I don’t think he’s scared to fight anybody. Um, but yeah, it just never happened.”

Ian Garry last stepped into the octagon in April at UFC Kansas, where he secured a victory over Carlos Prates. Now, he is officially set to face former contender Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar in December. Back in September, Garry had expressed his desire to face Sean Brady for the No. 1 spot in the welterweight division. With this fight now confirmed, fans will have to wait for a potential Brady matchup at a later date.