The No. 5 ranked middleweight in Bellator, Fabian Edwards returns to action at Bellator 259 in a pivotal match-up that could have title implications in the future.
Edwards (9-1) suffered his first professional loss at Bellator Euro Series 8 last September. He lost a split decision to Costello van Steenis.
During the Bellator 259 media day this week, he was asked about his first loss.
“I just felt like I was too comfortable in there; you know I wasn’t going out there and putting big shots on him,” Edwards said. “That was my first loss in six and half years of fighting, so I think I just got too comfortable, you know, I won’t be making that mistake again. I’ll be going out and be putting pressure from the start.”
Edwards will be fighting the No. 4 ranked middleweight Austin Vanderford. There has been a little bit of heat between the two fighters. Vanderford has been calling him Leon Edwards, brother, while Edwards has been calling him Paige VanZant’s boyfriend. There was a certain comment that stuck with Edwards.
“I read a comment somewhere that he is going to mess my face up. Not a chance that happens, so reading those comments from him and suffering my first loss really lit a fire in my stomach. I’m going to go out there and beat him up bad,” Edwards said.
Edwards does think that Vanderford won’t want to stand with him and will want to wrestle.
“I think he’s going to be shooting for his life if I’m honest,” Edwards laughed. “The pressure that I’m going to put on him, he’s going to be panicking and shooting for his life so, let’s see. I don’t expect anything different from what I’ve seen.”
He continued, adding “He will be reverting to wrestling. I’m going out there and putting big shots on him. I know he is going to be looking to wrestle. And look, if he wants to wrestle, we can wrestle. I’ll bring my wrestling boots, you know what I mean. We cannot strike at all if he wants to do that.”
Watch the full Bellator 259 media day scrum with Fabian Edwards above.
