Sean Brady looking to surprise 'Boogeyman' in stylistic clash: 'I might have a few tricks up my sleeve'

Former CFFC champ headlines Saturday's FURY Professional Grappling 12 event on UFC FIGHT PASS from Philadelphia's 2300 Arena.

Sean Brady's primary MMA focus right now is on a UFC booking that could very well serve as a No. 1 contender fight in his chase for the promotion's welterweight title. That said, Brady is also not one to just sit around waiting, so when the opportunity was presented to headline Saturday's FURY Professional Grappling 12 event against Richie "Boogeyman" Martinez, the decision was an easy one to make.

"I haven't done it in a little while, and I feel like it's a perfect time," Brady said. "I'm waiting to get a fight, and it's always fun just to grapple in my backyard, so it's perfect timing. We've been trying to get an opponent for a little bit, and then Jonavin Webb sent me over some names. Richie was the biggest name on there. I've been a fan of his for a long time, so yeah, it's going to be fun. 

"We're going to go out there and grapple. We don't have to worry about getting punched in the face, and we're going to put a show on for the fans before the end of the year."

Brady hasn't competed for FURY Professional Grappling since a submission win over longtime MMA veteran Ben Saunders in 2022, but without his next UFC appearance on the books – and with the organization returning to Philadelphia's 2300 Arena for Saturday's card – it was the perfect time for a return to the mats in his hometown.

"I've competed for FURY twice, I've won belts with CFFC there, I fought on amateur shows with Paul Felder back in the day at the 2300, so me and the 2300 Arena have a lot of history," Brady said. "It's going to be fun. Everyone's going to come out. We got Joey Pyfer, Andre Petroski, Christian Bobe. It feels like my entire team is competing on the card, so yeah, it's going to be fun. 

"We're going to put on a show Saturday. There's no better way to end the year. If I can't get a fight in Philly, at least I get a grappling match."

In Martinez, Brady will face a seasoned grappling specialist who has competed in the sport's biggest promotions for more than a decade. But Brady, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, himself, thinks it's a perfect stylistic matchup that could very well play into his strengths.

"He's going to be definitely bigger than me," Brady said. "I'm walking around like 190, 195, so I said anywhere in that range. They couldn't really find anybody. They said Richie at 205. I said, 'I don't care.' I'm a pretty strong guy, so I feel like I'll be able to handle myself there, but yeah, it's going to be fun. 

"He has kind of like a completely different style than what I have. I'm more of a 'take you down, top heavy, pass and submit' guy, where he's playing that rubber guard and that mission control off his back, so it's going to be a stylistic clash, but I've been doing a lot of jiu-jitsu, so I might have a few tricks up my sleeve. It's going to be a cool clash of styles for sure."

After the fun of Saturday's event, Brady will turn his attention back to his UFC run, where he's currently the No. 4-ranked welterweight in the promotion's official rankings following his September win over perennial contender Gilbert Burns. Brady's not sure what his next move is just yet, but he's aiming for a matchup with former champ Leon Edwards when the organization returns to England on March 22.

"I'm pushing for the Leon fight," Brady said. "My manager says they'll be talking to the UFC brass this week, so that's really what I want. There's a lot of risk with going over to his country and fighting him in his backyard, but there's also a lot of reward. If I beat the No. 1 guy in his backyard, that cements me as the No. 1 contender, and that's what I'm looking to do, but if we don't get that, I'm hearing from a little birdie they might be coming to Miami in April, so one of those. 

"That's what I'm looking for, but I'm looking for a top-five guy, and yeah, we'll just see what comes about."

So expect UFC news from Brady early in 2025, but before his next move is booked, he'll serve as one half of the final combat sports matchup in 2024 on UFC FIGHT PASS. Brady thinks it will be a memorable night not only for him, but for many of his teammates who are in action, as well.

"I'm going to get there early because I have teammates from the first match of the night until the end, so I'll be there the whole night," Brady said. "You're going to see some high-level grappling. The way FURY is making these rules now, it's going to be exciting. You know, if you don't get a submission, you don't win, and I like that, and obviously if it goes to overtime, you have to score, but they're making these rules to make these matches be exciting.

"We got Andre vs. Pat Downey. We got Joey on there. Pat Sabatini just got added to the card, so it's literally stacked with the highest level guys on the East Coast, so if you're not tuning in to UFC FIGHT PASS or spending the $65 to get there, then I don't know what you're doing on your Saturday."