Our expert has three UFC London betting tips and predictions for Saturday’s huge card at the O2 Arena. (22/03/2025). Leon Edwards faces Sean Brady as he looks to start to work his way back to the title after losing his belt to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester last July.
The co-main event sees light heavyweights Jan Błachowicz and Carlos Ulberg clash while emerging UK talents Nathaniel Wood, Jordan Vucenic and Mick Parkin also feature on the card.
UFC London – Edwards v Brady Betting Tips
- Leon Edwards v Sean Brady: Fight to go the distance @ 10/19 with bet365
- Kevin Holland to win v Gunnar Nelson @ 11/10 with bet365
- Nathan Fletcher to win by submission v Caolan Loughran @ 5/1 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
Headline clash could be an epic encounter
Leon Edwards’ fight with Sean Brady will be his first appearance since losing his belt to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 last July.
The 33-year-old has admitted overlooking Muhammad, who he was set to defeat in 2021 when an eye poke saw the fight ruled a no contest.
On his day Edwards is a slick striker with strong takedown defence but both were severely lacking that night in Manchester.
Two wins over Kamaru Usman and a dominant victory over Colby Covington showed his championship mettle after a nine-fight winning streak on his way to his title opportunity.
Brady has stepped in on a month’s notice after Edwards’ original opponent Jack Della Maddalena was rebooked to fight Belal Muhammad for the title in May.
Della Maddalena’s kickboxing style may have been a welcome stylistic match-up for Edwards, who now has to prepare for another grappler.
Brady, like Muhammad, wears down his opponents with a high-paced grappling approach.
The defeat to the now champion in 2022 changed Brady’s mindset and he has put in back-to-back career-best performances in stopping Kelvin Gastelum and dominating Gilbert Burns.
Edwards must get back to his previously solid takedown defence if he is to have a chance of victory but it is hard to make a strong case for either fighter to win.
Four of Brady’s UFC wins have gone to the judges’ scorecards, while 10 of Edwards’ 14 wins went the distance, and this clash could last the full five rounds too.
- UFC London Tip 1: Leon Edwards v Sean Brady: Fight to go the distance @ 10/19 with bet365
Holland can benefit from move to welterweight
On the activity scale you could not find two more different fighters than Kevin Holland (26-13-0) and Gunnar Nelson (19-5-1).
Holland prides himself on being inside the Octagon as regularly as he can, win or lose, at varying weight classes.
The 32-year-old arrives in London desperately in need of a victory after losing four of his last five fights.
He is dropping back to welterweight after consecutive first-round losses at middleweight to Reiner de Ridder and Roman Dolidze.
That is a positive move for Holland who has a better frame for 170lbs and does not get out-grappled there as he has in recent middleweight performances.
The American is 4-3 at welterweight but has lost only to the division’s most elite strikers, including a split-decision defeat to the next title challenger, Jack Della Maddalena.
Since Nelson’s last outing in March 2022 Holland has fought seven times and he has been in action 22 times since the Icelandic fighter headlined a 2019 fight night in London three fights ago.
Holland has shown he can hang in the top 20 at welterweight and his willingness to accept fights in a weight class where he lacked size has been detrimental to his record.
However, against an opponent who is hittable with his low-hand karate style, Holland could well find the mark and get back to winning ways.
- UFC London Tip 2: Kevin Holland to win v Gunnar Nelson @ 11/10 with bet365
A Merseyside gym derby
Seven years ago in a small show hall in Belfast Nathan Fletcher had his hand raised under amateur rules against Caolan Loughran.
Now both have made it to the UFC and they face each other again representing two Liverpool stables.
Loughran has left Belfast to train and now trains in the 4 corners gym, while Fletcher is a key figure alongside Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann at Next Generation.
Fletcher was part of the last series of the Ultimate Fighter but broke his leg during a unanimous-decision quarter-final defeat in March 2024.
However he was given a short-notice chance at the Apex in September, which he took with both hands, submitting Zygimantas Ramaska early in the second round.
Loughran has a 1-2 UFC record, with his last outing being a unanimous-decision defeat to Jake Hadley at UFC 304 in Manchester.
Fletcher should have a skill and athleticism advantage and seven of his nine pro wins ended by submission, showing he has a killer instinct when the fight hits the ground. Loughran is tough but his bulldozing style may not be enough.
- UFC London Tip 3: Nathan Fletcher to win by submission v Caolan Loughran @ 5/1 with bet365
