Fabian Edwards drew first blood in his problem for Johnny Eblen’s middleweight name in the principle match of Bellator 299, however a deep shorten throughout his eyebrow gave the impression to ignite a unutilized hearth for the champion. Eblen scored a third-round TKO end to secure his name and weigh down Edwards’ dream of becoming a member of his brother, UFC middleweight champion Leon Edwards, as occuring together global champions.

Momentum felt as although it was once on Eblen’s aspect ahead of the battle even started because the champion walked to the hoop with the Dublin public loudly making a song alongside to his front tune of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” through John Denver.

Pace Eblen’s very best trail to victory was once apparently to make use of his wrestling and grind out Edwards at the garden, Eblen was once content material to be on one?s feet, transfer stances and throw kicks and punches on the challenger. With Edwards having to fret about the potential of takedowns, Eblen was once in a position to do the easier early paintings at the toes. 

Next forming early luck at the toes, Eblen began to seem to paintings the clinch and hunt a little bit for takedowns. Edwards was once in a position to fend off the preliminary makes an attempt or even perform a little just right paintings with moves at the fracture. Most significantly, Edwards was once in a position to land a fritter to not hidden an uncongenial shorten throughout Eblen’s eyebrow in the second one around.

Eblen’s reaction to the shorten was once to return out for Spherical 3 on hearth. Next each males landed fat photographs within the opening seconds, Edwards was once dropped through a proper hand. Eblen adopted to the canvas and landed a flurry of fat photographs that pressured the stoppage as Edwards was once badly rattled.

Issues nearly boiled over then the TKO stoppage, with Eblen taunting and yelling at his downed foe and Leon Edwards leaping into the motion and prominent to a couple competitive phrases between the 2 global champions ahead of issues had been settled i’m sick and Eblen sooner or later made his far more than to the Edwards brothers in a display of sportsmanship.

The stoppage got here at 0:21 of Spherical 3, operating Eblen’s document to 14-0. The win was once his 2nd name protection since defeating Gegard Mousasi for the belt at Bellator 282.

“Part of me was like yeah, I don’t know how bad this cut is, it feels pretty bad,” Eblen mentioned when requested then the battle if the shorten spurred on a extra competitive way. “I just stuck to the game plan. I didn’t change much. … I can strike, I can grapple, I can do it all. I feel like I’m one of the best in the world if not the best in the world.”