“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.

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Things weren’t always looking so rosy for Primus. Initially, he was left out of the tournament entirely, until luck came calling, in the form of a failed drug test on the part of Sidney Outlaw.

Outlaw dropped out, Primus jumped in against Barnaoui, and on Friday, utilized his grappling to secure victory.

“It felt great. I thought he was going to come in strong like that, and then kind of thought, it’s a five round fight, he might kind of take it easy,” Primus (12-3) told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “But from start to finish, it was non-stop fast pace. It was a good fight.”

Primus knew he had to watch out for Mansour Barnaoui’s sweeps and back-take, but believed that his ground game was much better than his opponent. That proved accurate. “I knew that he wasn’t going to submit me. I knew that,” stated Primus.

Now, Primus, who held Bellator’s lightweight title from 2017 to 2018, winning the belt from Michael Chandler then losing it back to him in a rematch, has champ Usman Nurmagomedov next.

“Let’s go man. Let’s go. I’ve been asking Bellator for that fight. I think it was a year, year and a half ago, I was begging to fight him. Man, if you work hard and you believe in yourself, things happen, and here we go. I get a shot at the title, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Expressing his respect for Nurmagomedov and his camp, Primus added “I’m going to win that fight, and I’m going to be the champion again.”

Asked how he sees that title fight playing out, however, Primus admitted that he’ll need to speak with his team and come up with a game plan for the undefeated Dagestani, a cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“I gotta sit down and talk to my coaches and get a game plan. But like I said, I feel comfortable with my stand-up, I feel comfortable on the ground. I know that he is probably better on his feet, but like I said, I’m going to talk to my coaches, we’ll sit back and watch all his fights, we’ll get a good game plan and we’ll be ready for him.”

Watch the full Bellator 296 post-fight press conference with Brent Primus above.

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Following Bellator 296 in Paris, France on Friday, where England’s Fabian Edwards defeated Dutch OG Gegard Mousasi in the main event, promotion president Scott Coker shed some light on the company’s future plans.

The landing spot for Edwards to take on middleweight champ Johnny Eblen — who was on hand for a post-event face-off with his next challenger — will be Dublin, Ireland in September, confirmed Coker.

The promotion will also continue to focus on Europe, where it has made inroads in recent years. While confirming a return to Paris in 2024, Coker added “one thing that we’re considering and working on is the events that we’re going to produce, maybe next year, more of a series of events hopefully in Europe, and some more dates in France, that will be like a Challenger Series.”

“We’ll be looking for the next big star in France. Because I believe that — you saw the talent level here, and it’s very good. They just need more fights, more reps, and to just stay busy. If we keep these guys busy, they’re going to do very well on the worldwide circuit.”

Coker also confirmed that prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Bellator had a date booked in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. That went by the wayside between COVID and the CBS/Viacom merger, which Bellator fell under. “We would love to come to Amsterdam, maybe even in 2024. I think sooner than later,” said Coker, praising the talented Dutch fighters who have emerged over the years. “We would love to go there and continue the Bellator tradition, and grow MMA in Holland.”

Watch the full Bellator 296 post-fight press conference with Scott Coker above.

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The middleweight match-up had a lot riding on it, with Mousasi suggesting it might just be his second-to-last fight after a storied career that had started two decades previously.

The fight started with Mousasi holding center, Edwards on the outside. Unfortunately, the first significant strike was a kick that landed right on the cup of Fabian Edwards, resulting in a halt to the action barely a minute in.

With the action back underway, Mousasi didn’t shy away from utilizing his kicks, flashing several front kicks to keep Edwards from closing the distance. Edwards did finally close the distance to do some clinch work, but Mousasi quickly broke and landed a low kick, answered by Edwards.

The first finished out on the feet; the second round found Mousasi and Edwards trading kicks again. Early in the second frame, however, Edwards shot a takedown off a Mousasi kick and landed it. Edwards just sat on top while Mousasi punched from the bottom; finally the Brit tried to pass, to no avail. Mousasi then switched to a butterfly guard, continuing to throw open-handed strikes from bottom. He shrimped back to the fence, posted up, dumped Fabian Edwards over the top, and moved to half guard! The ref however stopped the action, ruling a knee had landed illegally.

Replay of the foul showed Mousasi’s knee glancing off Edwards’ leg while it was in transit, making incidental contact with the British middleweight’s jaw as a result. No point deduction, in other words.

On the restart, Edwards began opening up, landing kicks and his right hand, hitting the mark with both several times. A strong finish to the second frame for Fabian.

Round three opened with renewed confidence from Fabian Edwards. While both men were landing leg kicks, Edwards had found his range with his hands. Unfortunately, an eye poke landed by Edwards halted the action.

When the resumed following the third foul of the fight, Edwards found considerable success with his length, landing his jab and combos. He also started adding up with inside leg kicks; Mousasi did have some success with teep kicks and single punches, but more often than not when closing the distance, Edwards was catching him.

The fourth round saw more solid stand-up work from Fabian Edwards. But at the midway mark, Mousasi changed things up, shooting and landing a takedown. Edwards quickly scrambled to his knees, but Mousasi controlled from the back, though he was ultimately unable to hold on to his opponent. Edwards reversed against the fence and broke, moving back to range, escaping harm for the time being. And in the dying seconds of the round, it was Edwards landing a throw takedown, though there was no time to do anything with it.

Come the fifth and final round, Gegard Mousasi was in need of a finish. Instead, he found himself with Fabian Edwards on his back. When Mousasi tried to scramble up, Edwards got hooks in. That eventually became a body triangle. Come the final minute, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Mousasi was out of time, and Edwards had his biggest win yet. One that should lead to a title fight with Johnny Eblen — especially given they faced off in the cage in Paris.

Official Result: Fabian Edwards def. Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)

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Prior to his arrival in Bellator, France’s Barnaoui had won the ROAD FC lightweight tournament. Primus, meanwhile, had been passed over for the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, until a failed drug test by Sidney Outlaw brought him in as a replacement.

In stark contrast to the previous fight on the Bellator 296 card, Douglas Lima vs. Costello van Steenis, Barnaoui vs. Primus started off hot. Barnaoui came right out and put Primus on the fence, the pair battling for position. Punches were exchanged, and positions were reversed a couple of times. When they came off the fence, they went right back too it, and soon Primus had the fight down. He just couldn’t keep it there, and nearly gave up the back on the way up.

The second round was equally active, with Primus finishing on bottom, working on a kimura attempt. But to start the round, he’d managed to land a bodylock takedown, sitting on top and eventually working to side control for an arm-triangle choke attempt. A solid round for the ex-champ, who had submission attempts while doing damage with ground n’ pound.

A battle along the fence opened the third, with Primus landing his right hand several times moments after. Barnaoui turned things around and launched a jump knee, and while it didn’t land flush, it did lead to an onslaught from Mansour Barnaoui to the delight of the Parisian crowd. Primus appeared to have slowed a step, while Barnaoui landed knees and elbows in the clinch.

Soon enough, an exhausted Primus wound up on his back, eating heavy elbows from Barnaoui, who sat in half-guard with the option to pass dangerously close. Primus tied things up, however, and with a minute to go reversed and got on top. That likely kept him in the fight, as things had come dangerous close to being stopped.

Round four found Primus having more success with his right hand. He appeared to have found a second wind. But Barnaoui continued to be dangerous, firing another jump knee which Primus answered with a right. Primus then landed a takedown, stacking Barnaoui up and moving to side control. Primus would spent the most of the round on top, definitely winning the fourth with an arm-triangle choke attempt in the final minute, followed by taking the back.

Primus again got the fight down in the fifth, getting in half-guard to land elbows. Barnaoui, who had started strong, was now at risk of losing the biggest fight of his career. Primus transitioned to the back after some hand fighting, getting a body triangle locked in. The American finished the round hunting a rear-naked choke that was across the jaw more than under the chin, and while he couldn’t secure it, he claimed the round. Having won the fourth as well, it was the early rounds that would be the deciding factor.

👀 @Mansourbarnaoui just has no QUIT!#Bellator296 | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports | 🇫🇷 @RMCSport pic.twitter.com/Ht7V96bQh9

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 12, 2023

When the scores were announced, it was Brent Primus winning a unanimous decision, three rounds to two, thanks in large part by the grappling prowess he displayed in the final two frames. He now moves on to a title shot against Usman Nurmagomedov in the grand prix semifinals.

Official Result: Brent Primus def. Mansour Barnaoui by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

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The former welterweight champ and grand prix winner had lost four straight fights coming into the fight with Dutch striker Costello van Steenis, looked upon as a possible future title challenger at 185lbs.

For those waiting for the fight to pop off, there was little in the way of explosions in the opening round. Rather, a measured pace, single strikes, some solid kicks, but nothing flashy, or overly damaging, that landed anyway.

Towards the end of the round, van Steenis got the fight down, and paired with being slightly more active than his Brazilian counterpart, he likely captured the round.

Another takedown from Costello van Steenis but it doesn't take long for @PhenomLima to get back up! #Bellator296 | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports | 🇫🇷 @RMCSport pic.twitter.com/azizgB40Hk

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 12, 2023

Round two saw Lima get his right hand and low kicks going. van Steenis fired a spinning kick that sailed wide about two minutes in; that left him off-balance, and he would end up on his backside, Lima chopping at his legs. The ex-champ, however, showed no interest in engaging on the ground, and let van Steenis back up.

Later in the round, the pair would tie up along the cage, Lima in control, van Steenis hanging on with underhooks. He used that to reverse, and coming off the cage managed to put Lima on his back. Lima kept his guard closed, but with just 30 seconds left in the frame, van Steenis only had time to land a few elbows.

For a fighter with his back to the wall, Lima had seemingly lacked fire through the opening two rounds. Entering the third, he was possibly down two, and even if not — the second was close — he needed a big round to pull off a win. That pace, however, started slow, until Lima hurt van Steenis with a right hand after a time, backing him to the fence. There, van Steenis covered up, while Lima ripped a combo, hitting the body and side of the head. van Steenis peeked out from behind his guard, only for a jab to sneak through. The Dutch fighter had survived, and they moved back to center.

With two minutes to go, van Steenis shot in on a takedown that was easily stuffed. The pair wound up against the fence, with Lima eventually turning out and breaking free. They closed out the round on the feet, then headed to the scorecards. The third had most certainly been Lima’s, while the first likely belonged to van Steenis. That left round two, a very close frame. In the end, all three judges scored it 29-28 for Lima, allowing him to pull out of the worst tailspin of his decorated career.

Official Result: Douglas Lima def. Costello van Steenis by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The main event of the promotion’s return to Paris featured former middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi, taking on rising 185lb contender Fabian Edwards, brother of UFC welterweight champ Leon.

The going theory heading into Bellator 296 was that the winner would get the next shot at champ Johnny Eblen, who had been on hand all week.

In the co-main event, meanwhile, a Lightweight Grand Prix quarterfinal saw ex-champ Brent Primus and French standout Mansour Barnaoui collide. Besides the obvious implications any Bellator tournament bout brings with it — the chance to move on, to move one step closer to a million dollars — Primus vs. Barnaoui also had a title shot awaiting the winner, with champ Usman Nurmagomedov already having beaten Benson Henderson to secure a spot in the semifinal round.

Bellator 296 takes place at the Accor Arena on Friday, May 12, 2023, airing live on Showtime in the U.S., and on PPV via Bellator360.com in Canada. Full results from the event can be found below. Where available, the preliminary card also streams live below.

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

Bellator 296: Mousasi vs. Edwards Results

Main card

Fabian Edwards def. Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Brent Primus def. Mansour Barnaoui by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) — Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal
Douglas Lima def. Costello Van Steenis by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Thibault Gouti def. Kane Mousah by knockout, Round 2, 3:58

Preliminary card

Denise Kielholtz def. Paula Cristina by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Luca Poclit def. Oliver Enkamp by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Saul Rogers def. Davy Gallon by submission (D’arce Choke), Round 1, 2:12 Overturned to a No Contest by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation and French Mixed Martial Arts Federation
Yves Landu def. Piotr Niedzielski by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sarvarjon Khamidov def. Kevin Petshi by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 1:33
Tim Wilde def. Chris Gonzalez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Fabacary Diatta def. Keir Harvie by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Asaël Adjoudj def. Georges Sasu by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Romain Debienne def. Bourama Camara by knockout, Round 2, 1:04
José Augusto def. Simon Biyong by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

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The Team Alpha Male lightweight looks to make it two in a row when he takes on Tim Wilde, the same night as one of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix quarterfinals goes down.

Gonzalez is no stranger to big fights himself. Last year, after landing a head kick KO on Saad Awad, Gonzalez found himself booked into a fight with Usman Nurmagomedov. He fell in the opening round, submitted by the man who would go on to win the title in his very next fight.

“He’s been nothing short of impressive. I’ve got to tip my hat to the man,” Gonzalez (8-2) told Cageside Press on the topic of Nurmagomedov during the Bellator 296 media day this week. “I think that he capitalized, and he caught me very early in that fight with that very slick submission. I didn’t respect it at first, and he really bladed his arm in there and he locked it up good. So I don’t want to take anything away from him. I think he’s been a dominant champion up until this point, and I’m looking forward to having another crack at it in future.”

The jaunt to Paris has given Gonzalez the chance to see a bit more of the world, and he’s taken advantage of that since arriving. “I’ve made a little bit of time already just to get kind of get out on the town and walk around, get the blood flowing,” he noted.

That helps, at least a little, by giving him something to focus on beyond the fight itself. “Yeah. Obviously I’m focused on the fight and that’s where my thought process is going to be at more often than not, but it’s nice to get out of the hotel room and see the world,” said Gonzalez.

As for the wrinkles travelling for a fight can create, “trying to catch up with the sleep is a little bit different,” Gonzalez admitted, noting that he worked on adjusting his sleep schedule on the plane ride to Paris. And so it was “a bit of an adjustment, but a nice challenge that I embrace, and it’s going well.”

Watch the full Bellator 296 media day appearance by Chris Gonzalez above.

The post Bellator 296: Chris Gonzalez Tips Hat to Usman Nurmagomedov, Hopes for Another Shot at Current Champ appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I don’t know. Probably it’s going to be the last,” Mousasi told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

Mousasi did mention what fight he wanted after Edwards.

“First Edwards then we go for him (Johnny Eblen) for another shot,” he said.

Eblen was the one to take the title away from Mousasi in the first place. The former champion did not downplay Eblen’s abilities.

“He was more hungry, he was better prepared, the fight after me against (Anatoly) Tokov he did pretty well also. He showed he’s someone to be recognized and not take light. He’s a serious fighter. He’s the champion for a reason,” said Mousasi.

Mousasi is one of the few MMA fighters to have made it to the top without having to be a showman or talk trash. Just get in the cage, fight, and win.

“One thing about America is, as long as you are a good fighter, eventually you will get there. You see Manny Pacquiao coming from Phillipines. He became a superstar in US,” he said.

“I wasn’t the big trash talker so it took me longer to get some recognition, but at the end of the day people recognize if your resume is good. You’re going to get there eventually.”

Speaking of resume’s Mousasi’s is one of the few to have a successful stint in both UFC and Bellator. The former champion compared the rosters’ champions and pointed out which Bellator champs could take on UFC champs.

“I can definitely see some of them beating the champions now. Welterweight to middleweight, light heavyweight, any of them. Heavyweight a little bit more difficult,” he said.

Someone mentioned the heavyweight champion in the UFC is currently Jon Jones. Mousasi laughed.

“Oh yeah heavyweight maybe not. Jon Jones is always tough. I think below heavyweight I would give everyone a great chance of winning.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Gegard Mousasi above. Mousasi headlines Bellator 296 on Friday night against Fabian Edwards.

The post Gegard Mousasi Says He’ll Do One More Fight After Edwards, Then He’s Done appeared first on Cageside Press.

Starting with Friday’s Bellator 296, the promotion’s events will be available to stream live (and for a seven-day window) on a Pay-Per-View basis via the promotion’s official website. News of the change was first reported by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter.

Friday’s Paris card is available for $19.50 Canadian, featuring all fights live, and seven days worth of full card replays.

The shift to PPV comes after Bellator, which previously aired on Paramount Network (and briefly CBS Sports) in Canada, moved to a free model for Canadian fans. That saw both preliminary and main card portions of Bellator events stream live on Youtube, via the promotion’s official channel.

That has been the case since April of 2021, when Bellator 256 was the first of many shows to stream free north of the border. The situation arose after Bellator moved from Paramount to CBS Sports to Showtime, all of which fall under the Viacom (parent company of Bellator MMA) umbrella. While Paramount Network and CBS Sports Network are both available in Canada, Showtime does not have a Canadian counterpart, with much of its content carried by other specialty cable channels in the country.

At the time, Bellator President Scott Coker suggested that the company would “have a broadcast partner soon.” That has not come to pass to date, however. Currently, TSN carries both UFC and PFL broadcasts in Canada, while Fight Network covers Invicta FC and various other promotions. ONE Championship, like Bellator previously, offers their events for free in the country via Youtube.

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