The Edwards brothers are making big waves in the MMA world.
With his brother, Leon, owning the UFC welterweight title belt, Fabian Edwards is eager to join him as a titleholder in a major promotion as he looks ahead to his first championship fight in Bellator.
On Friday, Fabian (12-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) defeated Gegard Mousasi in a dominant unanimous decision in the main event of Bellator 296 at Accor Arena in Paris and secured a title fight against middleweight champ Johnny Eblen on Sept. 23 in Dublin.
Fabian believes this is the start of the Edwards brothers’ takeover.
“We’re smooth southpaws. We’re smart fighters,” Fabian told reporters at the Bellator 296 post-fight news conference. “He just put on a clinic against one of the great welterweights (Kamaru Usman). He put on a clinic against a legend, as you guys say.
“Yeah, man. We’re here working. We’re trying to achieve a lot. I know we already achieved, but we’re trying to achieve a lot. We’re trying to go down as legends ourselves.”
Leon Edwards, center left, and Fabian Edwards, center right, with their team at Bellator 296. (Photo courtesy of Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan)
Leon won the UFC welterweight belt in dramatic fashion with a head-kick KO of Kamaru Usman last August, then defended it in a rematch this past March. This title reign from his older brother has given Fabian plenty of motivation.
“It motivated me a lot,” Fabian said. “I feel Leon showed everyone, from Birmingham at least, that you can do this full time, that you can make a good earning, and make something off yourself and inspire people from it. So yeah.”
As far as his performance Friday, Fabian is building quite the run. He defeated a former Bellator champion in Mousasi and paired that with his back-to-back wins over other notables Lyoto Machida and Charlie Ward.
“It says a lot,” Fabian said regarding his current run. “Who in MMA can say they got Machida and Mousasi on their record? You know? That’s it.
“I lost my two fights, and everyone wrote me off. Everyone kind of said whatever, but I kept my self-belief, went back to the gym and kept working. Now I’m back here, a three-fight winning streak and a fight away from a world title.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 296.