While the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic took the summer of 2020 away from Bellator light-heavyweight Christian Edwards, he managed to make the best of the situation and finish out the year with two wins to remain undefeated for his career.
The way Edwards looks at things, he will eventually achieve his goals, so there is no reason to get too out of sorts if there is a temporary delay or break in his course.
“It’s definitely been an unexpected turn of events, but I’m not hanging my head low or anything,” Edwards told MMAWeekly.com. “I know that my ride to the top and my climb up the ladder is inevitable. I just have to be patient.
“It’s definitely been definitely an expected turn of events, but I know it’s going to happen eventually, so I’m not too worried about it.”
One reason why Edwards was not too horribly put off by the downtime from fighting was it allowed to continue to work on and develop his game.
“I never want to go into a fight looking like I did in the last fight. If I do get to that point in my career where I feel like I don’t need to learn anything new, I know it all, then I know that’s where I’m going to start to fail – and I refuse to let that happen,” said Edwards.
“I think the improvements are going to speak for themselves in the fight. He’s not going to know what to expect from me in this fight. I’m not going to look anything like I did in my last fight or the fight before.”
This Friday in Uncasville, Connecticut, Edwards (4-0) will face Ben Parrish (4-1) in a bout that was initially scheduled to take place last month, this time in a 205-pound main card match at Bellator 261.
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“I was already in great shape, phenomenal shape, the first time around we were supposed to fight, but I jumped right back into camp and have done nothing but train and work on cardio,” Edwards said. “The pace I’m going to throw on (Parrish) is going to be something to behold.
“I think it’s going to open peoples’ eyes (and have them saying) ‘this dude is a danger to anybody in the division’.”
Being undefeated and someone a lot of people have eyes on is not a pressure thing for Edwards. If anything, having high expectations is just another reason for him to establish himself as someone who people should pay attention to.
“It’s definitely just a motivator for me,” said Edwards. “I know what I’m capable of, and I just have to go out and execute and show it to the world, and I’m more than capable of doing that.
“It’s definitely motivating for me. It’s not really scaring me or making me feel uncomfortable. I embrace every aspect of this and every moment of this.”