Two fights later taking unwell a former global champion in Lyoto Machida, Fabian Edwards regarded so as to add some other win over a former champ when he confronted Gegard Mousasi in the primary match of Bellator 296 on Friday. Upcoming 5 rounds, Edwards completed his project, scoring a cloudless unanimous choice over a middleweight legend and securing a shot at championship gold nearest this month.

Mousasi gave the look of by no means in point of fact were given his offense on-track towards Edwards, who used to be longer and sooner all through the combat. And, within the moments the place Mousasi used to be ready to get one thing going, sloppy fouls derailed his momentum.

Perhaps the most important of the ones moments got here in the second one spherical. Edwards took Mousasi to the grassland however didn’t do the rest offensively, permitting Mousasi to opposite place and get on supremacy. Future Mousasi attempted to do harm at the grassland, he threw an unlawful knee that landed to Edwards’ face, make happen the combat being stood up and Mousasi dropping the fine place.

Regardless of that era seeming to turn an edge at the grassland for Mousasi, the previous champ determined to most commonly stay status, best scoring a some other takedown within the fourth spherical. Future he used to be ready to advance to complete mount or even shoot the again, Mousasi used to be now not ready to store the placement earlier than Edwards were given again to his toes.

The extra of the combat featured Edwards popping off fast punches and leg kicks, countering Mousasi’s slower assaults nearly at will and obviously racking up rounds at the scorecards.

By means of the 5th spherical, it used to be Edwards who used to be securing takedowns and keeping up again keep watch over as Mousasi used to be not able to do a lot alternative than prohibit a submission.

It used to be a dominant appearing for Edwards, controlling just about each era of the combat towards probably the most superior middleweights in MMA historical past.  

Upcoming the belief of 5 rounds, the professional scorecards had been as broad as anticipated. All 3 judges became in playing cards of 49-46, giving Edwards the most important win of his occupation.

The win tied Edwards a shot at middleweight champion Johnny Eblen — and a possibility for Edwards to connect his brother, UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, as global champion.

“After I suffered my losses, a lot of people wrote me off,” Edwards stated. “A lot of people thought I was finished. One more fight until I get that gold belt and join my brother and make some f—ing history.”

Eblen joined Edwards within the cage at that time, the 2 males exchanging phrases because it used to be showed they might meet for Eblen’s identify on Sept. 23 in Dublin.

“I’m a much, much tougher opponent than Gegard and you’re going to see that,” Eblen stated.

Mousasi, who misplaced the identify to Eblen in his earlier time out, has now misplaced back-to-back fights for the primary life in a occupation that has spanned greater than 20 years and just about 60 fights, nearly all fought at the largest levels of the game.