Edwards Cruises Past Mousasi, Gets Eblen Title Shot On Sept. 23

Gegard Mousasi returned to the Bellator cage earlier today (Fri., May 12, 2023) against Fabian Edwards in the main event of Bellator Paris, which went down inside Accor Arena in Paris, France. The fight was already pre-determined as title eliminator fight, with the winner getting the chance to face Johnny Eblen for the 185-pound title later this year.

While “Dreamcatcher” did have some shining moments in the fight, their were not that many of note. Indeed, it was not a usual Mousasi-like performance because there were times where he simply didn’t muster up enough offense. When he did decide to utilize his wrestling, Mousasi found success but he didn’t go to the well as much as he could/should have.

The fight was halted on three separate occasions. The first time occurred in round one after Mousasi landed a low blow. In the next round he tagged Edwards with an illegal knee while he was down, though a point was not taken away. The third and final occasion happened in the third round after Mousasi had a wardrobe malfunction with his shorts.

For his part, Edwards tried to keep the distance to use his speed and slight reach advantage to tag his foe. While he did have some success, it wasn’t exactly a one-sided dominant performance. That said, it was good enough to earn him the nod on all of the judges scorecards.

Check out some of the action below:

After the fight, Eblen stepped into the cage to face off against Edwards to promote their title fight. After an extended staredown, things got a bit physical and security, producers, corners and even John McCarthy had to step in order to prevent further escalation.

Soon thereafter it was revealed that the two men would headline an upcoming card in Dublin, Ireland on Sept. 23, 2023.

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