Sean Brady is one of the best welterweight fighters in the world. Heading into UFC 322, a victory over Michael Morales would have put him in a strong position to get the next crack at the 170-pound title. However, the 33-year-old was on the wrong end of a knockout loss to the fast-rising star. It’s probably why he suggested this week that a division change is possible.
“I might try to go to ’55,” Brady said on a new edition of the BradyBagz Show. “There’s a lot of good-ass matchups at ’55 that are potentially there, but also depends on what they want to give me at 170.”
If Brady does make a switch to 155 pounds, we look at five possible matchups from fighters inside the UFC lightweight rankings.
Charles Oliveira
In October, Charles Oliveira bounced back from a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria. He is well outside the title picture but has no plans to retire any time soon. In pursuit of giving him interesting matchups, having him face the welterweight star in his division debut would be an intriguing clash.
Benoit Saint-Denis
After a tough loss to Renato Moicano late last year, Benoit Saint-Denis has caught fire inside the Octagon, winning three straight. If Brady wants a tough test in the back half of the rankings, a clash with the French star would be a great matchup.
Dan Hooker
Dan Hooker looked to get into title contention in November but came up well short in a loss to Arman Tsarukyan. He is an exciting fighter who would welcome another major matchup inside the division. Welcoming Sean Brady to 155 pounds would place him in a relevant matchup and be a test to see if he is worthy of staying in the top 10.
Renato Moicano
Like Hooker, Renato Moicano is another exciting fighter inside the top 10. However, unlike the New Zealander, Moicano is a dangerous ground fighter. Meaning Brady would need to be careful when using his elite grappling skills against the Brazilian veteran.
Rafael Fiziev
After losing three straight, Rafael Fiziev finally got back in the win column in June. A clash with Brady would be a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. As well as an excellent test for the veteran welterweight to see if he can hang with a top 15-level fighter at lightweight.
