Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley both aim to stay in title contention when they meet in a main event clash this April.
The UFC announced Saturday that Brady and Buckley are set to meet in a welterweight bout that headlines its upcoming April 25 event at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Both fighters are currently in the top 15 of the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at 170 pounds, with Brady at No. 8 and Buckley at No. 11. However, both are also coming off of losses that derailed their chances of fighting for a UFC
title in the near future.
Brady (18-2) put himself on the cusp of a championship opportunity after dominating and becoming the first fighter to submit former titleholder Leon Edwards this past March. That was Brady’s third straight win and he was booked against another contender in Michael Morales for his next fight. The outcome didn’t go Brady’s way as he Morales defeated him by first-round knockout.
Buckley (21-7) finds himself in a similar situation. After committing to a welterweight move in 2023, Buckley rattled off six consecutive victories, but when he ran into Kamaru Usman this past June, he was unable to get past the former welterweight champion. His win streak included wins over longtime contenders Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson, and Vicente Luque.
No other bouts have been announced for the April 25 card, though MMA Fighting previously confirmed that ranked bantamweights Norma Dumont and Yana Santos are set to face off on that date.
