McCann in fiery face-off as Edwards promises knockout

Leon Edwards promised to knock Sean Brady out as the pair shared an icy stare down before their welterweight fight at UFC London on Saturday.

Edwards weighed in at 171lbs (12st 2lb) with American Brady one pound lighter, with the two fighters remaining silent during the face-off.

Edwards, 33, is looking to bounce back after losing his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad in July.

"London, what's up? I'm excited to come back. Tomorrow night I truly believe I put him away, he's too predictable, so let's go," said Edwards.

Interactions between Edwards and Brady have been low-key during fight week, with the Briton putting much of his focus into regaining the belt.

That theme continued as the pair remained silent when face to face, with the taller Edwards peering down at his opponent.

Brady, 32, was a late replacement for Australia's Jack Della Maddalena, who will instead face Muhammad for the belt at UFC 315 on 10 May.

Edwards says he had felt the pressure of his 12-fight winning run heading into the bout with Muhammad, and "owes the UK fans" a strong performance at the O2 Arena.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's Molly McCann successfully weighed in for her strawweight contest with Brazil's Alexia Thainara before a fiery face-off.

While McCann was calmer than some of her previous stare downs and glared coldly at her opponent, Thainara tried to goad the Briton by raising her arms with a cheer.

McCann responded by waving her hand in front of her mouth, seeming to suggest Tainara had bad breath, before the pair shared words on stage.

McCann is looking to return to winning ways after defeat by Bruna Brasil in July.

Edwards has cut a much more relaxed figure during fight week than his last appearance against Muhammad.

Edwards has laughed with journalists and his team during the week and saw the funny side to a fire alarm test during Thursday's news conference.

In the build-up to his defeat against Muhammad, Edwards appeared irritated at times - perhaps due to his sleep schedule, which was flipped to adjust to his 05:30 GMT start time, or because of his intense rivalry with Muhammad.

The rivalry with Brady is less personal, with both fighters seeing each other as stepping stones to earning a shot at Muhammad's title.

As is often the case, Edwards is likely to be the superior striker with Brady's main threat coming via his grappling.

But there is a notable size difference between the two, with the taller Edwards predicting his physicality will play a big part during the contest.