Hollywood, FL — Following a bit of a grudge match with fellow Bellator alum Dalton Rosta, it’s Fabian Edwards who was still standing at the end of PFL Hollywood, laying claim to the PFL World Tournament middleweight championship.
A belt, a half million dollars, and bragging rights. Edwards finished the fight in style, knocking out Rosta with a head kick in the third round.
It was shades of Fabian’s brother Leon, who knocked out Kamaru Usman to win welterweight gold nearly three years ago to the day.
“Told ya. I told y’all,” an upbeat, beaming Fabian Edwards said following the fight. “It’s crazy. Three years, same head kick. It’s mad. It’s mad. I can’t believe it. Well I can, because I did see that Dalton had a tendency to pull, and it landed beautifully.”
The beef between the pair, that included Edwards accusing his opponent of using performance enhancing drugs, has now been put to rest, he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the event.
“When you knock someone out like that, there’s nothing you can say. It wasn’t a split decision. I took him out, so all the beef is squashed on my side.”
Ahead is likely a fight with Costello van Steenis, who defeated Bellator middleweight champ Johnny Eblen to capture what is now the PFL Champions Series world title.
“I’m a world champion and he’s a world champion. Whenever we fight, it’s about bringing this together,” noted Edwards, who sees Saturday’s win over Rosta as being more than just a tournament victory. “I don’t look at myself as a tournament winner or whatever. This is the world championship. I beat three of the best guys in the tournament, and that’s it.”
Regardless, Edwards is expecting more big things to come.
“I’m 32. I started this sport when I was 22, and I still feel like I’ve got so many years, and so many things to achieve, and so much more big performances to come. And I look forward to it.”
Watch the full PFL Hollywood post-fight press conference with Fabian Edwards above.
