Fabian Edwards was surprisingly calm heading into his title eliminator against Gegard Mosasi at Bellator 296 in Paris, France on Friday.
“Considering how big the moment was for me, I felt super calm and relaxed. And when I went in there, I felt the same thing. The exact same thing,” Edwards (12-2), younger brother of UFC welterweight champ Leon, said of the experience. Mousasi vs. Edwards headlined the Bellator 296 card, with a shot at middleweight champ Johnny Eblen on the line.
“I didn’t even feel like I was styling. There was no mad nerves, I just felt totally comfortable,” Edwards told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “I could hear my corner talking, I could see everything. Yeah, I’m happy with that one.”
Eblen was brought into the cage following Fabian Edwards picking up a unanimous decision win, and things appeared to get a little heated. An apt description of the altercation might be “scuffle,” but Edwards downplayed that backstage at the Accor Arena.
“Nah it wasn’t a scuffle. It was a little bit of this and a bit of that, and that’s it. Johnny knows he’s seeing me next, and that’s it. The push and the shoves are all nice, but we’ll get to see each other in the cage, and we’ll get to lock horns and exchange some punches.”
Later, Edwards was asked if he enjoyed things getting spicy.
“I like it all. It can get spicy, or we can keep it mild. I don’t really mind,” replied Edwards. “It’s all the same, because when we get in the cage, I will be throwing 100% shots and him, and he’ll be doing the same to me. All the talk and all that pushing and shoving, it doesn’t really mean much to me.”
The pair’s title fight will go down in Dublin, Ireland in September, though Edwards is hoping to “twist someone’s arm” and get a date in Birmingham, England instead.
Watch the full Bellator 296 post-fight press conference with Fabian Edwards above.
