The main event of Bellator 218 in Thackerville, OK saw Emmanuel Sanchez meeting Georgi Karakhanyan for the second time. Their first meeting had Sanchez getting the upper hand, but Karakhanyan would no doubt be motivated, returning for a third run in the promotion in place of Ashleigh Grimshaw. A win for either could land them a big fight down the line, or at the very least a birth in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix.

The pair engaged early, trading blows with Karakhanyan landing a left, eating a leg kick, then shooting in for a takedown. ‘Insane’ pushed Sanchez onto his back, but Sanchez looked to tie him up. Karakhanyan, however, would do enough to keep the fight on the ground, targeting the body as Sanchez looked to set up a submission. He threatened with a triangle, which forced a bit of a scramble, only for Karakhanyan to get back on top. Sanchez continued to be active off his back to the bell to end the first, but how the judges would see things was a question.

In the second, Karakhanyan scored an early takedown, but Sanchez quickly made it to the fence, and soon enough, back to his feet. Another takedown later in the round would see Sanchez manage to take the back of his opponent, getting both hooks in. He’d look for a choke while Karakhanyan fought hands, defending the submission attempt and punching back over his shoulder. Eventually, Sanchez decided to throw some shots of his own, and while he couldn’t find the finish, he was in control a good chunk of the frame.

The third had Karakhanyan again pursuing the takedown early, driving Sanchez into the cage. From there, he dragged Sanchez down, turning the bout into a grappling contest. Karakhanyan landed knees to the thigh of Sanchez, who landed shots while seated, and struggled to regain his feet. With half the round gone, the ref stood them up, and Karakhanyan went right back for a single, but was in an iffy position until adjusting and moving to side control. Sanchez rolled, Karakhanyan took the back, but he was too far down, and Sanchez reversed. Sanchez landed a big left from the top, and later began wailing away with hammer fists — with Georgi living up to his ‘Insane’ moniker and sticking his tongue out at him.

Going the distance, it was Sanchez taking a close decision, albeit a unanimous one.

Emmanuel Sanchez def. Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Bellator 218 Results: Emmanuel Sanchez Edges Out Georgi Karakhanyan appeared first on Cageside Press.

At Bellator 218 on Friday night in Thackerville, OK, longtime Bellator light heavyweight Linton Vassell made his promotional debut at heavyweight. Britain’s ‘The Swarm,’ who had twice fought for gold at 205lbs in Bellator MMA, had not fought at heavyweight in nearly ten years, but was excited to fight at his “natural weight” — with Ryan Bader, the organization’s light heavyweight champ, also holding heavyweight gold, which could set up a rematch down the line.

Immediately noticeable was the size of Linton Vassell, despite being a former light heavyweight. He was the larger man in the cage, but Moldavsky held his own in the first exchange, and Vassell then opted to pursue a takedown, getting it along the fence roughly ninety seconds in. ‘The Swarm’ looked to step over into a choke, but Moldavsky reversed and moved to his feet.

From there, Moldavsky was looking to land some big overhands, with Vassell walking him down, throwing kicks and looking to set up another takedown. Which he secured with just over a minute and a half remaining. That allowed Vassell to set up some elbows, as he took the round with little question.

🔥 @LDV_TheSwarm with the takedown early in round one!

Our #Bellator218 Main Card continues LIVE on 📺 The Paramount Network
& simulcast on 📲 @DAZN_USA!
Tune in with @SkySports in the 🇬🇧. pic.twitter.com/trm0NRVaqo

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 23, 2019

Moldavsky would connect early in the second, getting Vassell to the ground in the process. However, Linton quickly reversed position, getting on top in guard. Back on the feet, Vassell pursued and converted his own takedown, which the Russian attempted to defend with a guillotine. Moldavsky, however, reversed before Vassell could do much damage. Moldavsky moved into an arm-triangle choke, which looked dicey, but the British fighter escaped, only to give up his back in the process. The round would finish with Moldavsky in control, and it was anyone’s fight heading into round three.

It was Moldavsky with the takedown early in the third. Vassell trapped a leg but was stuck on his side, which allowed the Russian plenty of control time. Vassell, meanwhile, could not escape, and was at risk of giving up his back. Vassell was tiring, Moldavsky was controlling. Pressuring. And slowly punishing. Time was now a factor, with Vassell likely needing a finish, or at least to explode to his feet first. Moldavsky, however, alternated his punches between the body and head of his opponent, picking up the pace a little as the round progressed. Vassell never did make it back up before the bell, allowing Moldavsky to secure a decision win.

Valentin Moldavsky def. Linton Vassell by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

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The multi-talented Gerald Harris was back in action at Bellator 218. There, the Ultimate Fighter 7 castmate, UFC/WSOF veteran, and occasional stand-up comic took on the dangerous Anatoly Tokov. Harris entered the night in serious need of a win, coming off a draw with Hracho Darpinyan. Tokov, meanwhile, sharing the card with brother Vladimir (who won a unanimous decision earlier in the night) entered the night on a three-fight win streak.

The middleweight battle kicked off with Harris on the outside, and Tokov moving in to close the distance, first with his hands, and later with a hard kick to the body. However, Harris then dropped Tokov! He faked the takedown, then unloaded with an overhand left. With the Russian face-planting, Harris moved in for the kill, landing several follow-up strikes — but somehow, Tokov survived. Moving back to his feet, Harris tied him up along the fence, but needed space to work that he didn’t have. Tokov would eventually reverse position, putting Harris against the cage. The pair traded short punches and knees, until Tokov dumped Harris on his back. Harris controlled the wrists, and quickly made it back up.

😳@GHurricane just dropped a 💣!

Did you see that??

Our Main Card is live now on The Paramount Network
& simulcast on 📲 @DAZN_USA!
Tune in with @SkySports in the 🇬🇧. pic.twitter.com/DulgsaIuKg

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 23, 2019

With one last takedown off a trip to end the round, the biggest surprise after five minutes of Harris vs. Tokov was that Tokov had survived to make it to round two. It was Tokov landing early in the second frame, tagging his opponent with a combo following a body kick that opened Harris up to a guillotine. Harris was forced to tap, and Tokov had the comeback win!

A thoroughly entertaining fight, with Tokov showing why he’s one to watch in the division.

Anatoly Tokov def. Gerald Harris by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 0:37

The post Bellator 218 Results: Anatoly Tokov Survives Early Scare, Submits Gerald Harris appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bumped to the main card due to injuries to both Mike Shipman and Jeremy Hardy, Norbert Novenyi vs. William Lavine featured a pair of middleweights at vastly different points in their lives. William Lavine entered the night at 1-1, at 36 years old. 3-0 Norbert Novenyi Jr., meanwhile, was just 19 years old, the son of an Olympian, and much hyped in part due to his young age.

Novenyi looked light early, employed a sideways stance, and quickly secured a body lock on the feet as the action got underway Friday night in Thackerville, OK. That allowed Novenyi to drag his opponent to the ground, easily controlling from the back with both hooks in. Moving into half-guard, he’d throw in a bit of ground and pound. Lavine would get him back in guard, only to wind up eating more blows. That said, Lavine made it back to his feet, only to have Novenyi stick to him.

That sequence led to a standing guillotine choke, which was tight, but Lavine managed to survive. Novenyi, however, held onto the neck and muscled his opponent back down. Novenyi would eventually land a suplex and again control from the back, only for Lavine to briefly reverse, but nearly get caught in a heel hook. A late takedown by the younger fighter took them to the second.

Round two saw Novenyi on the outside, connecting with a spinning elbow early. This time it was Lavine pushing the fight, driving Novenyi into the fence, and looking to land foot stomps. However as they went to the ground, Novenyi again took the back, getting one hook in, then trying to flatten Lavine out while landing a number of ground strikes. From there, Novenyi sank in an arm-triangle choke, and after a couple of punches to the ribs, Lavine tapped out.

Norbert Novenyi def. William Lavine by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 4:05

The post Bellator 218 Results: Norbert Novenyi Submits William Lavine, Over Fifteen Years His Senior appeared first on Cageside Press.

The featherweight match-up finished off the night, but earlier, Bellator 218’s preliminary card featured action from top middleweight prospect Johnny Eblen, Vladimir Tokov (whose brother Anatoly was fighting on the main card), and promotional stalwart John Macapa. Not a bad group, with a couple of fights on the women’s side mixed in as well, including a catchweight 130lb fight between Deborah Kouzmin and Ky Bennett.

The Bellator 218 live stream for the prelim card was set to kick off at 6:45PM EST on Friday, March 22 — with all the action available below! Plus, live results throughout the evening ahead of the main card on Paramount Network and DAZN at 9PM.

Bellator 218: Sanchez vs. Karakhanyan 2 – Live Tonight on Paramount Network DAZN

Bellator 218 Preliminary Card Results:

Deborah Kouzmin def. Ky Bennett by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Johnny Eblen def. Chauncey Foxworth by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
John Macapa def. Kevin Croom by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Jordan Newman def. Joseph Holmes by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Vladimir Tokov def. Ryan Walker by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Victoria Leonardo def. Malin Hermansson by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 4:49

Nick Page vs. Nation Gibrick
Aaron Vickers vs. Isaiah Gutierrez
Craig Fairly vs. Luis Erives

Christian Edwards (203.1) vs. Roman Huerta (xx) – scratched as Huerta failed to weigh in/make weight

The post Bellator 218 Preliminary Card Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Georgi Karakhanyan, for the second time. That’s probably not most people’s idea of a main event, but it was originally supposed to be Ashleigh Grimshaw in against Sanchez. If we’re being blunt, that’s almost a sideways move, but Sanchez is a former title challenger, and a win on Friday could at least secure a spot in Bellator’s upcoming featherweight grand prix for one man or the other.

It’s Karakhanyan’s third run in the promotion, and the former WSOF champ known as ‘Insane’ will likely be going all out, given he has a chance to reestablish himself in the company.

Also on the card, Anatoly and Vladimir Tokov. The Russian siblings would be in the spotlight, with Anatoly taking on veteran journeyman Gerald Harris, while Vladimir, on the preliminary card, faced off against Ryan Walker.

Walker missed weight for the bout, but the show would go on. That was not the case for Christian Edwards, whose opponent missed weight by a mile and then some for Bellator 218.

Be sure to check out the full results from Bellator 218’s weigh-in, and enjoy a gallery of highlights below courtesy of Bellator MMA. Bellator 218 takes place Friday, March 22 with the main card airing live on Paramount Network and DAZN.

The post Bellator 218: Sanchez vs. Karakhanyan 2 Weigh-In Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bellator MMA is back in Thackerville, OK for this Friday’s Bellator 218, featuring a main event showdown between Emmanuel Sanchez and the returning Georgi Karakhanyan. It’s the third stint in Bellator for Karakhanyan, while Sanchez will be looking to bounce back from a title fight loss against Patricio Pitbull last year.

The pair first fought at Bellator 170 in 2017, where Sanchez took home a majority victory.

Weigh-ins for the event went down Thursday, with at least one fighter, Roman Huerta, badly missing weight. That left the debut Christian Edwards, a training partner of Jon Jones, without a fight, and pretty peeved on top.

Bellator 218 Weigh-In Results

Main Card (Paramount Network/DAZN, 9PM EST)

Featherweight: Emmanuel Sanchez (145.1) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (146)
Heavyweight: Valentin Moldavsky (232.7) vs. Linton Vassell (246.7)
Middleweight: Anatoly Tokov (185.9) vs. Gerald Harris (185.5)
Middleweight: Nobert Novenyi Jr. (185.1) vs. Will Lavine (185.5)

Preliminary Card (Cageside Press/Bellator App, 6:30PM EST)

Middleweight: Johnny Eblen (185.5) vs. Chauncey Foxworth (185.9)
Lightweight: Vladimir Tokov (155.8) vs. Ryan Walker (156.2)*
Featherweight: John Macapa (145.9) vs. Kevin Croom (145.1)
Light Heavyweight: Christian Edwards (203.1) vs. Roman Huerta (xx)**
Middleweight: Jordan Newman (185.7) vs. Joseph Holmes (181.4)
Flyweight: Malin Hermansson (125.5) vs. Victoria Leonardo (125.4)
Lightweight: Nick Page (155.3) vs. Nation Gibrick (155.2)
Lightweight: Aaron Vickers (136) vs. Isaiah Gutierrez (135.7)
Lightweight: Craig Fairly (155.7) vs. Luis Erives (154.5)
Women’s 130-Pound Catchweight: Deborah Kouzmin (129.2) vs. Ky Bennett (129.5)

* Walker missed weight, fight proceed

** Huerta missed weight, fight scratched. Edwards paid show money

The post Bellator 218: Sanchez vs. Karakhanyan 2 Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

There’s missing weight, and then there’s what Roman Huerta did on Thursday in Thackerville. Scheduled to face Christian Edwards, the much-hyped training partner of UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, Huerta was so far over the 205lb limit he didn’t even step on the scales (the official ones, at least).

In fact, according to a report by MMA Junkie, Huerta blew weight by more than 20lbs, although Bellator officials would not confirm the exact number.

Yikes. Cageside Press spoke to Edwards ahead of the bout, and he was ready to go in his professional debut after finding success as an amateur. Now, the Jackson-Wink MMA member is instead left fuming and thinking about what might have been.

Taking to Instagram, Edwards flat-out called his would-be opponent a “fat piece of sh*t” for the unprofessional move. In order for the fight to go forward, the pair would have had to be within five pounds of each other on fight night — which was simply not going to be the case, with Edwards weighing in at 203.1lbs.

“Well I have some bad news. My fat, piece of sh*t, opponent didn’t make weight,” Edwards wrote. “He was at 227!!! Wtf!!! So they cancelled my f*cking fight. I’m so sorry to everyone who bought tickets to come watch me crush this scrub, but it is what it is I guess. I was so f*cking excited about fighting in my home state. I’ll be back Oklahoma. I promise. Thank you everyone.”

Rough luck for Edwards, but hopefully he will be back soon.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvRvZvrFxoL/?utm_source=ig_embed

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Future FC 3 | Friday | Brazil

Bantamweight, Glyan Alves (13-3)

The Shooto Brasil current champ, Alves is a super fun and promising fighter to keep in eye on. Alves is well-rounded, being both good on the mat and on the feet, but more so the feet where he is very dangerous. He’s really explosive and dynamic with his offensive output including spinning attacks, flying knees, and many other flashy strikes. He isn’t just a flashy-type fighter as he can be very technical and he holds a lot of power in his hands. Alves does have good wrestling to fall back on, but he’s not too effective once on the mat. He fights Herbeth Sousa (12-1) who poses a threat to Alves.

Bellator 218 | Friday | Oklahoma

Light Heavyweight, Valentin Moldavsky (7-1)

Valentin Moldavsky is mainly a wrestler, he knows how to effectively position himself for the takedown, if that is in the clinch, where he is at his strongest, being able to control the position. Or if he just grabs a single leg for the takedown. On top, Moldavsky is as heavy as you can be as he is strong on top due to his background in Sambo. On the feet, he doesn’t go right for the knockout as he is more of a counter striker with a lot of power coupled with solid defense. Just a few adjustments would make him a complete fighter. He fights Linton Vassell (19-7), who is on a two-fight skid but a tough challenge.

Middleweight, Anatoly Tokov (27-3)

Anatoly Tokov is an excellent prospect out of Russia with an impressive record with plenty of experience. Tokov is 20-1 in his last 21 fights as his only loss is to UFC fighter Ramazan Emeev. He does have wins over solid competition including former champion Alexander Shlemenko. With a background in combat sambo, he is a great wrestler and the ground-and-pound he possesses on top is his best aspect. Tokov has heavy hands and is very aggressive with great cardio. Tokov is a major prospect and a possible future Bellator champion. He fights former UFC fighter Gerald Harris (25-7-1) who Tokov should run through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_oG_JkQDes

Middleweight, Norbert Novenyi (2-0)

Novenyi is only 2-0 as a pro but had some experience as an amateur at 3-0. He is a Hungary native, but he trains out of a top camp in the UK, London Shootfighters. Novenyi is a primary wrestler that has slick jiu-jitsu with three career submissions. He hasn’t stayed on the feet too much but has some nice footwork and a good kicking attack along with nicely cut angles showing his training with the London Shootfighters. He fights William Lavine (1-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHIx93NEI1I

Middleweight, Johnny Eblen (4-0)

Johnny Eblen has a background as a Division I wrestler for the University of Missouri. Eblen trains with American Top Team and is 4-0 as a pro. The wrestler hasn’t shown much on the feet but he does swing hard. Eblen is 100% on his takedown attempts with explosive shots and excellent finishing ability. The work he does on top has been utter dominance. His top control is heavy and he will rain down heavy ground-and-pound. He’s looked great thus far in his career. He fights Chauncey Foxworth (9-7), who Eblen should be too much for.

LFA 62 | Friday | Texas

Flyweight, Casey Kenney (10-1-1)

He is extremely solid all around with his stand-up, he uses a little bit of everything such as knees, leg kicks, head kicks, and striking. On the mat, Casey is very good but his wrestling and judo are spectacular. Not only is he dangerous with a double-leg takedown but also using his judo for the trip takedowns and hip tosses. While on the mat, he is very heavy on top and can transition well. He fights Vincent Cachero (6-0).

Bantamweight, Vincent Cachero (6-0)

Vincent Cachero is undefeated as a pro and also went 4-1 as an amateur. Cachero is a well-conditioned striker that likes to stand and let his hands go. Cachero has power, but it’s his aggressive pace along with his constant output that makes him stand out. He is always throwing more than one punch and always throwing from different angles. He does have some holes in his takedown defense and cardio though, so that could be an issue moving forward. He fights Casey Kenney (10-1-1).

Island Fights 54 | Friday | Florida

Featherweight, Mike Davis (6-1)

Davis has a background in boxing along with Muay Thai and is undefeated in both of those as sports. His striking is solid, the way he throws combinations and uses his head movement is fantastic as is reminiscent UFC fighter Shane Burgos. The striking is crisp but the wrestling of the Contender Series veteran is good as well as he executes timing and double-legs very well. On top, he is smooth in transitions and getting dominant positions with effective ground-and-pound. He fights Carlos Guerra (3-1).

UK Fighting Championships 9 | Saturday | United Kingdom

Featherweight, Shoaib Yousaf (4-1)

Only 4-1 as a pro, Yousaf went 10-0 as an amateur and was the 2016 IMMAF Featherweight World Champion. Yousaf is dynamic on the feet with both his kickboxing and his counter-striking along with the great timing he has. His ground game I believe is his best aspect. His jiu-jitsu is fantastic as he has a very active guard as well. He fights Martin Fouda (5-12-1).

Berkut Young Eagles 8 | Saturday | Russia

Heavyweight, Murat Gugov (5-1)

After losing his pro debut, Murat Gugov went on to win his next five with a perfect finish rate. Gugov wants to take the fight down quickly as he’s hardly had any time on his feet. He’s a big strong guy so once he gets his hands together he gets the takedown. Gugov has mauling ground-and-pound with stoppages coming that way. He also is a submission threat locking in two rare ones in a north-south choke and a Von Flue choke. He still has a lot to show but he’s worth watching for. He fights Adlan Ibragimov (3-0), who I think Murat should beat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZWNjbwlb7k&t=134s

Featherweight, Bibert Tumenov (6-0)

Bibert is the younger brother of Albert Tumenov, who was a former UFC fighter and the former ACB welterweight champion. Tumenov has a background in boxing and won at the 2014 Youth Boxing World Championships. He also won gold in the Russia Cup and was a member of Russia’s National Boxing Team. He’s an extremely dangerous striker and a very smart one. He doesn’t favor a singular strike as he is always mixing up his combos and switches levels. He has a bright future. He fights Timur Khizriev (6-0) who I think Bibert is just too good for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1MZArQrosI

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Bellator 218, LFA 62, and More appeared first on Cageside Press.

You may know him as Jon Jones’ training partner. But you’re about to be introduced to him as Christian Edwards, Bellator MMA light heavyweight. Edwards makes his promotional and professional debut at Bellator 218, and there is no question that it has been an interesting road to this point.

For an 0-0 fighter with just a handful of amateur bouts under his belt, there’s also a fair bit of attention. Because of where Edwards trains, the storied Jackson-Wink MMA, and who he trains with, including Jones.

He’s taking it all in stride, however, telling Cageside Press ahead of the fight that he’s excited to have a good debut. “I can’t wait to display my skills,” Edwards said. Skills he has now spent years honing.

And yes, some days, it feels like a dream. “Every day,” he corrected. “Seriously every day I walk downstairs and see the big JW on the padded wall and see all the big pictures of Jon and Holly [Holm] and Michelle [Waterson] and Diego [Sanchez] on the wall. It’s a surreal feeling, for sure. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and blessed.”

Those photos have become a goal. “My goal is to be a world champion one day. Right behind that, my next goal is to get my picture on the wall.” Not just any spot, either, but the big wall, “where all the big monumental names of the gym are, hanging above the cage.”

Like many an origin story in MMA, Edwards’ began with some trouble in school. While he jokes that he was getting suspended every other week, in reality, “probably like every month I was getting suspended. Being a knucklehead, getting into fights. Not intentionally starting fights of course, but I would never shy away from a fight.”

Part of the reason, “I was naturally a big kid. I was bigger than most of the kids in my grade.” Edwards feels the other kids might have been intimidated by that. In turn, they singled him out. “I got messed with a lot, but I would never shy away from a fight.”

In response, his mother signed him up for jiu-jitsu. But even before then, Edwards had an MMA dream. “I had been into MMA way before I got into jiu-jitsu. I watched all the old UFCs when I was a kid, when I was like 13. It was something I always had an interest in. I wasn’t big on sports, I wasn’t big on football, I wasn’t big on basketball, I really liked UFC. I watched UFC, I watched Bellator, I liked MMA. Finally I got into a jiu-jitsu school and I was like ‘wow, this is the closet thing to MMA I’ve ever done, I kind of want to keep doing this, I want to go further in this.'”

Jiu-jitsu led to striking, and wrestling, and from there Edwards “just slowly began my journey as a mixed martial artist.”

Among his early inspirations were ‘The Spider,’ and a man he would later wind up training with. “My all-time favorite fighter to watch back in the day was Anderson Silva. I was a huge Anderson Silva fan,” Edwards admitted. “Secondly, was Jon Jones. I looked up to Jon for a really long time. Youngest champion in UFC history. I was like ‘man that could be me one day. I want that one day.’ Maybe not UFC, but something like that.”

As Edwards recalls, “UFC 128 is when he won the belt from Shogun. I remember being a kid and watching that and I was just like ‘wow this guy is my hero.'” It never crossed his mind that he might some day work alongside Jones as the champ prepared for another title defense. Instead, he was just a kid in awe, later thinking “that’s awesome, that’s what I want for my kids.”

“I was 13 or 14 when that happened. I was being a kid and not really having any interest in anything else, that was a huge inspiration for me,” he told us.

Who would have thought that years later, Edwards would end up at Jackson-Wink MMA, the very same gym as Jon Jones. On a scholarship. The very first recipient of the Jackson Wink/Mata Leon scholarship, no less. Something unheard of in MMA.

Mata Leon Sports Management actually scouted Edwards during one of his amateur fights. The firm represents the likes of Curtis Blaydes, Juan Adams, and Dominick Reyes, among others. Richard Guerrero, the man behind the company, reached out to Edwards on Facebook, and things blossomed from there. “He immediately was very straight forward, very honest, very nice,” Edwards remembered. “Automatically I could just tell he was a legit dude, not just a legit dude but he was sincere about everything he was saying. I signed with him I think in May. He had been talking about flying me out here, and having me do a training camp here.”

When discussion turned to the idea of Edwards coming out to Albuquerque, New Mexico to do a camp at Jackson-Wink, Guerrero asked his new athlete how long he’d want to stay. Edwards “just said kind of like jokingly, ‘permanently.'”

“He was like ‘okay, done.’ I laughed, because I thought he was joking.” The offer, however, was serious. “That’s when he told me that him and Wink had been talking about a scholarship program they were trying to start, and he thought I was the perfect candidate for that.”

Edwards arrived at Jackson-Wink in July, and has been there ever since. This Friday he makes his pro debut in Thackerville, OK, taking on Roman Huerta. It’s a preliminary card fight, fitting for a fighter with no pro fight experience. Yet the expectations remain lofty, again, because of who Edwards trains with. Most fighters, at 0-0, wouldn’t be getting this much attention.

It’s not nerve racking at all for Edwards, however. Instead, “it’s really motivation for me,” he said. “I love attention, I’m not going to lie. I love attention and I love getting the right eyes on me. Because I know that when I do preform, there are going to be people watching that I should want to impress, and want to really give a good performance for.”

Later, he added that he feeds off the attention. A good thing, because all eyes will be on him in Thackerville. They might be expecting Jones 2.0. Edwards is aware of that.

On opponent Huerta, Edwards stressed that “I’m not taking him lightly by any means, I’m really not.” In his next breath, however, he added that “I don’t want to come off as arrogant by any means, but I’ve seen him fight… I just feel like he’s not on my level. There are levels to this game, and I just feel like we’re on different levels. I think that, March 22nd, on Friday, I’m going to show that.”

Edwards doesn’t feel any pressure to do something spectacular in his debut, just because of his association with Jones. “No pressure at all,” he told Cageside Press. He does, however, want to establish himself as his own fighter in due time.

“Of course. I don’t want to live under Jon’s shadow forever,” he admitted ahead of his debut. “I get it, it’s a part of the marketing game, that’s how they sell me as a fighter. ‘Jon Jones’ training partner.’ I get that, that’s fine. At one point in his career, he was probably known as Rashad Evan’s training partner. I get it, that’s just what media needs to do to sell me as a fighter.”

Yet while he accepts the role for now, “eventually at one point, I want to be known as my own individual fighter, and be known for my own unique style, and not just Jon Jones’ training partner.” Recognizing that it could take some time, he added that “I’m patient, I’m not going to expect it to come immediately after this fight, but I think eventually it will come where I’m just known as Christian Edwards, next Bellator light heavyweight champ.”

Christian Edwards makes his debut against Roman Huerta this Friday, March 22 at Bellator 218 in Thackerville, OK. The preliminary card airs right here on Cageside Press!

The post Bellator 218: Christian Edwards Understands Jones Comparisons, But Intends to Establish His Own Identity appeared first on Cageside Press.