Bellator middleweight Fabian Edwards has weighed in on the Bellator 282 main event upset.
On Friday night, Johnny Eblen defeated Gegard Mousasi to become the new Bellator MMA middleweight champion.
Eblen went into the championship bout as the underdog, largely due to the gulf in experience between himself and “The Dreamcatcher.” Despite that, Eblen sailed to a 50-45 unanimous decision victory, fighting the perfect fight to become the new 185lb champ.
The consensus was that Eblen would come into the bout with a wrestling-heavy game plan, and although he did utilize his collegiate wrestling acumen, he also got the better of the striking exchanges.
Brit Fabian Edwards explained how he thought the fight would go, telling Cageside Press that “I thought the fight would be Eblen shooting for his life. He looked ok in the striking.”
The 29-year-old is coming off the back of a career high win against MMA legend Lyoto Machida back in May. Not only did Edwards slay “The Dragon,” but he did it in emphatic fashion, starching the Brazilian with a picture perfect elbow, followed by a viscous left hook.
After returning to the win column, Edwards has offered a prediction on how he sees a future bout between himself and new champion Eblen going. “If it’s me and him fighting he wouldn’t dare try any of that striking with me. I see him trying to turn it into a wrestling match but I’ve fixed that hole.”
In Edwards’ ten wins, seven have failed to make it to the judges scorecards, with “The Assassin” boasting three submission victories, and four wins by KO.
On Instagram recently, Edwards teased at a return to the cage in October when Bellator is scheduled to return to Milan, Italy. The British fighter is currently ranked third in the middleweight division, and envisions he is only a few more fights away from challenging for gold.
“I believe after I put someone’s son away in October, I’ll be one fight away from collecting gold.”
Bellator’s next event, Bellator 283, arrives on July 22 and features a lightweight title fight atop the card.
