The American, 32, out-grappled Edwards throughout before ending the contest with a guillotine choke.

The defeat is 33-year-old Edwards’ second in a row after losing his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad in July.

“I took this fight the day I got out of the hospital with my wife and our newborn baby. I knew I could do that and I think I belong in the top three for sure,” said Brady.

“Dana [White] gave me a wonderful opportunity to come out here. I love the UK fans, sorry I had to do that to your boy but lots of respect.”

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

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

Edwards said he “owed the UK fans” a knockout after his defeat by Muhammad in July, but never stamped his authority on the contest.

Despite a bright start, Edwards struggled to find direction in a fight where Brady had a clear game plan.

Edwards spent much of the fight on the backfoot against Muhammad and history very much repeated itself against Brady.

The Birmingham fighter’s bright start was snuffed out by Brady, with Edwards giving up position on the ground and shooting for his own ill-advised takedown at one stage.

Brady’s dominance was so great, frustration in the crowd started to grow and fans began to trickle out of the arena after three rounds.

Before the fourth round Brady’s corner told him “[Edwards] is broken” and he took advantage, taking the action to the ground once more and securing the fight-ending guillotine choke.

As Brady celebrated, Edwards lay crestfallen on his back with his hands on his head.

“I heard all week people saying I’m too small. I’m not small for welterweight, I was 190lb when they weighed me at the back. I’m just short and that’s alright,” added Brady.

The win was Brady’s third in a row as he thrust himself into title contention, while Edwards slips further away from his dream of becoming Britain’s first two-time UFC champion.

Following a 12-fight unbeaten streak and dreams of breaking Georges St-Pierre’s nine-fight welterweight title defence record, Edwards has now suffered two defeats in a row.

Edwards has spoken this week of wanting to regain his belt, but his loss at the O2 Arena means has has slipped further down the pecking order in a competitive division.

Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Della Maddalena are all ahead of him in the title picture, while rivals like Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley are also fighting for contention.

Of the fights available for Edwards, Ireland’s Machado Garry, who is seventh in the welterweight rankings, would be an interesting option.

Machado Garry has won eight of his UFC bouts but lost a number one contender bout to Rakhmonov last year.

Another possible opponent is fellow Briton Michael ‘Venom’ Page, who has previously called for a matchup with Edwards.