DraftKings MMA, UFC DFS Lineup Picks - UFC London: Edwards vs. Brady

UFC visits London for the first time in almost two years this weekend. The former welterweight champion Leon Edwards is set to take on American Sean Brady in a five-round main event at UFC London at the O2 Arena. The event will mark the promotion's 16th visit to London and first since July 2023 when Britain's Tom Aspinall knocked out Marcin Tybura on his return from injury.

The co-main event of UFC London features a light heavyweight showdown between former light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz and surging Carlos Ulberg. The main card features a welterweight scrap between Gunnar Nelson and Kevin Holland, a women's strawweight bout between Molly McCann and UFC newcomer Alexia Thainara, and a lightweight fight between Jordan Vucenic and Chris Duncan. Nathaniel Wood and Morgan Charriere are set to open up the UFC London main card.

In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC London: Edwards vs. Brady on 22/15/25. Give me a follow on X @sumpor5. Good luck!

DraftKings MMA Welterweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks 

Leon Edwards, $7600 - vs. Sean Brady

Leon Edwards is set to take on Sean Brady in the main event of UFC London on Saturday. Edwards will look to get back in the win column and possibly earn a title shot with the win while Brady will look to extend his win streak to three.

We're one step closer to #UFCLondon! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/1SzwNKC86u

— UFC (@ufc) March 19, 2025

Edwards was last seen in action last year at UFC 304 where he lost the welterweight belt to Belal Muhammad after getting dominated for five rounds. "Rocky" was originally scheduled to face off against Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC London, however, Della Maddalena was pulled from the card to be rescheduled for a welterweight matchup with Muhammad. Edwards was unbeaten in 13 fights heading into his UFC 304 fight against Muhammad.

Brady enters this bout on a two-fight winning streak, having defeated Kelvin Gastelum via submission, and most recently, Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision. Brady's only career loss came via knockout against Muhammad back in October 2022. A win could earn Brady that title showdown and shot at redemption against Muhammad. If not, a win over Edwards easily puts him one fight away from earning a title shot.

Edwards enters this fight with an MMA record of 22-4 with one NC and 14-3 with one NC in the UFC. He is averaging 2.68 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 53%. Edwards is absorbing 2.37 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 53%. Regarding his grappling, Edwards is averaging 1.25 takedowns every 15 minutes. Edwards has a takedown accuracy of 36% and a takedown defense of 65%.

Brady enters this fight with an MMA record of 17-1 and 7-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 4.09 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 55%. Brady is absorbing 3.18 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 60%. Brady also has elite grappling, averaging 3.49 takedowns every 15 minutes. He has a takedown accuracy of 52% and a takedown defense of 85%.

Wrestle-heavy fighters have traditionally given Edwards his toughest contests and Brady is an excellent wrestler and a grappler. Edwards is a far better striker than Brady and this fight all leans on whether he can keep Brady off him to be able to let his striking go.

Edwards will need to change his passive approach and pressure Brady to win this fight and I think he's going to do that. I have no doubts that Edwards will struggle at times but I think he's going to piece up Brady en route to unanimous decision victory.

DraftKings MMA Women's Strawweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks 

Alexia Thainara, $8900 - vs. Molly McCann

After earning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series, Alexia Thainara is scheduled to make her promotional debut against Molly McCann on the main card of UFC London. Thainara will look to extend her win streak while McCann will look to get back in the win column.

Thainara steps in as a late replacement for Istela Nunes on just eight days' notice. In her last bout, she defeated Rose Conceição via unanimous decision to go 11-1 as a professional and earn a contract with the UFC. Known as a grappler with slick boxing, Thainara had five straight submissions that happened between 2021 and 2023. She lost only once in her career and that was a third-round submission loss to Bruna Brasil back in 2019.

McCann also had one loss on her record before she made it to the UFC. McCann was last seen in action last year at UFC 304 where she dropped a unanimous decision to Bruna Brasil. Prior to this, she tapped Diana Belbita with an armbar. Fight against Thainara will mark McCann’s 14th octagon appearance. McCann has suffered defeats in three of her last four and will be desperate to get back in the win column.

Thainara enters this fight with an MMA record of 11-1. She is averaging 6.73 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 39%. Thainara is absorbing 3.07 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 71%. Her grappling is solid, averaging 3.00 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.0 submission attempts during the same period. She has a takedown accuracy of 100% and has not been taken down in the UFC.

McCann enters this fight with an MMA record of 14-7 and 7-6 in the UFC. She is averaging 5.39 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 49%. McCann is absorbing 4.72 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 62%. In regards to her grappling, McCann is averaging 1.84 takedowns every 15 minutes. She has a takedown accuracy of 36% and a takedown defense of 39%.

McCann's wrestling and defensive grappling remain an issue and Thainara excels at that. McCann's boxing skills have often been highlighted as her strongest attributes, making her a significant threat in stand-up exchanges. That being said, I think McCann will have trouble dealing with Thainara's range. Thainara has all the tools to win this fight. My prediction is that Thainara will find a way to submit McCann in the second or the third round.

DraftKings MMA Lightweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks 

Jordan Vucenic, $9300 - vs. Chris Duncan

On Saturday, Jordan Vucenic and Chris Duncan are scheduled for a three-round lightweight bout on the main card of UFC London. Vucenic will look for his first UFC win after an unsuccessful UFC debut while Duncan looks for his second consecutive win.

Vucenic looked good early in his UFC debut against Guram Kutateladze knocking him down but was ultimately outwrestled, losing via unanimous decision. In all honesty, the fight could have gone either way. That was his first loss since he was defeated by Paul Hughes while trying to defend his Cage Warriors featherweight title. Before his UFC debut, Vucenic defeated Adrian Kepa via first-round guillotine choke. He also has a win over Morgan Charriere.

Duncan enters this bout as the underdog with a UFC record of 3-1. He was last seen in action last year at UFC Paris where he got back in the win column by defeating Bolaji Oki via first-round guillotine choke. Duncan earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his performance against Oki. Before that bout, Duncan was submitted by Manuel Torres via a first-round rear-naked choke.

Vucenic enters this fight with an MMA record of 13-3 and 0-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 2.27 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 40%. Vucenic absorbs 2.00 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 55%. He has shown no grappling ability in the UFC so far but has a takedown defense of 75%.

Duncan enters this fight with an MMA record of 12-2. He is averaging 4.70 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 46%. Duncan absorbs 4.00 strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 48%. When it comes to his wrestling, Duncan is averaging 3.53 takedowns every 15 minutes. Duncan has a takedown accuracy of 37% and a takedown of 33%.

Vucenic's background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gives him a significant advantage on the ground against Duncan. Although Duncan has a wrestling approach, his wrestling skills pale in comparison to Kutateladze's. Vucenic is extremely fast as well and that was evident in his last fight as he was able to hurt Kutateladze multiple times before he was taken down. Also, Vucenic's is durable while Duncan's durability is a question mark.

My prediction is that Vucenic will earn his first UFC win by beating Duncan via unanimous decision.

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