UFC 328 results: Sean Brady dominates Joaquin Buckley to win despite surge of irregular betting movement

Sean Brady found himself under a microscope Saturday night ahead of his UFC 328 main card bout against Joaquin Buckley. As it turns out, it was much ado about nothing.

Brady (18-2) used his formidable wrestling to dominate Buckley (21-7) and win a wide unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27), quelling concerns after a surge of abnormal pre-fight betting movement raised eyebrows and flipped Brady from a sizable favorite to a sizable underdog.

Brady scored takedowns in all three rounds and overwhelmed Buckley with a steady diet of top control and ground-and-pound, rebounding in a major way after suffering a first-round knockout loss to Michael Morales this past November. Brady has now won four of his pasts five bouts and returns to title contention in the UFC’s welterweight division.

“Especially after coming in after getting TKO’d by Morales, I wasn’t mentally in that fight,” a fired-up Brady said post-fight. “But this fight camp, this fight, I was locked the f*** for 15 minutes, and that’s what happens. I didn’t get the finish, but nobody’s ever dominated Buckley that way. [Kamaru] Usman couldn’t hold him down the way I did, no one can hold him down. I deserve to be in the top five. I’m right back in this b****.”

Brady’s win is likely a relief to the UFC and its executives after some worrying signs began appearing early Saturday. The Philadelphia native was tabbed as more than a 2-to-1 betting favorite throughout fight week, until a flood of late money poured in on Buckley less than 24 hours before the opening bell, suddenly pushing Brady to almost a 2-to-1 underdog and forcing some sportsbooks to limit action on the bout.

The situation triggered a concerning sense of deja vu for a sport that’s becoming all too familiar with betting controversies. In November, featherweight Isaac Dulgarian was cut from the UFC following a bizarre first-round loss to Yadier del Valle at UFC Vegas 110 that immediately came under fire for irregular pre-fight betting patterns and Dulgarian’s suspicious performance. The and an investigation into the matter is believed to be ongoing.