UFC London 2025: Five Things We Learned

UFC London 2025: Five Things We Learned

UFC London is in the books. The event had a solid collection of fighters that competed throughout the night. That gives us a lot of important lessons about quality fighters. Here are five things we learned at UFC London. 

Sean Brady Demonstrates His Sensational Grappling 

In the UFC London main event, Sean Brady put his grappling skills on full display as he submitted Leon Edwards in the fourth round. 

This was a sensational showing from Brady. In the first round, Edwards made positive moments and won clinch exchanges. It looked like Edwards had an answer for Brady. That significantly changed in the following rounds. Brady changed his takedown approach and looked for more traditional wrestling takedowns. That helped him land the takedown and get into the top position. At that point, he began to steamroll Edwards with his top game. Eventually, he used a kimura to set up a guillotine and ended the fight. 

Brady used his UFC London main event to demonstrate his grappling skills. His combination of raw strength and technical BJJ makes him a tremendous fighter. It will be tough to find UFC welterweights who can hold their own in the grappling department, and Brady’s performance made that clear. 

Carlos Ulberg Takes A Step Toward The Top 

In the UFC London co-main event, Carlos Ulberg earned a decision win over Jan Blachowicz. It was a very close fight, but Ulberg was the one who had his hand raised at the end of the night. That feat pushes him toward the top of the light heavyweight division. 

Ulberg’s performance was not remarkable. The fight was very close and the decision could have been rewarded to either fighter. The areas Ulberg found success were his straight shots and movement. He was able to minimize the pocket exchanges as he fought off Blachowicz’s pressure. Plus, he landed a few solid counters. 

This victory should allow Ulberg to move toward the light heavyweight division’s top. Although his performance was not enough to steal a title shot from Alex Pereira or Jiri Prochazka, he likely earned a big fight that puts him one shot away from the title. 

Jan Blachowicz Proves He Can Still Compete

Jan Blachowicz faced a long list of questions in his UFC London bout. The 42-year-old was returning from double shoulder surgery. His combination of age and injury created the potential for a serious drop in skills; however, that is not what happened. Blachowicz did not win, but he showed he could still compete against high-level light heavyweights. 

The fact that Blachowicz was able to fight close with Ulberg was impressive. It is not unreasonable to say he should have been the fighter to get his hand raised. It was a razor-thin fight where Blachoiwcz had strong moment. 

A loss makes it much harder for Blachowicz to work himself into title talks; however, he is still an elite light heavyweight. It was hard to confidently say that before this fight. It is unclear how long he can keep his current form, but he has yet to show significant regression. 

Kevin Holland Is Far Better At Welterweight 

At UFC London, Kevin Holland got back in the win column with a win over Gunnar Nelson. The performance was further evidence that Holland is much better when competing in the welterweight division. 

The most promising aspect of this performance is Holland’s determination. This was a close fight that could have gone to Nelson. Ultimately, Holland won the fight because he was the more aggressive striker and managed to stay safe in grappling exchanges. Plus, he worked to the feet at points in the fight.

This fight showed Holland has functional grappling skills when competing at welterweight. At middleweight, opponents are too big and Holland cannot deal with their strength. In the future, he should only compete in the smaller weight class.

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Chris Duncan Takes Out Another Solid Fighter

At UFC London, Chris Duncan landed a guillotine choke to submit Jordan Vucenic. The win moves Duncan’s record to 4-1 and adds another solid win to his resume.

This was a compelling fight. Duncan did a good job of landing shots on the feet. Plus, he showed strong grappling attributes. His physicality helped him have great offensive grappling moments against a high-level grappler. Eventually, he jumped for a guillotine when Vucenic shot a double-leg takedown.

Duncan does not have any remarkable wins on his record; however, victories over Vucenic and Bolaji Oki are impressive for any fighter who is looking to move up the lightweight division. Those are the types of wins that can help earn bigger opportunities.

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