EXCLUSIVE: Gegard Mousasi will face Fabian Edwards at Bellator Paris

EXCLUSIVE: Gegard Mousasi will face Fabian Edwards at Bellator Paris, with former middleweight champion taking on British rising star in May 12 main event

  • Bellator are returning to Paris for a third time with event on Friday, May 12
  • Fabian Edwards, brother of UFC champion Leon, will face Gegard Mousasi
  • Former middleweight champion takes on No 2-ranked Brit in the showpiece
  • Co-main is between Sidney Outlaw and Paris-based standout Mansour Barnaoui

Bellator will return to Paris with a main event showdown between Gegard Mousasi and Fabian Edwards on May 12, Sportsmail can exclusively reveal. 

The No 2-ranked Brit – who is brother of UFC champion Leon – faces a huge test against the former middleweight champion. 

Accor Arena will play host and Edwards is relishing the challenge. He said: ‘I’m excited to be up against him. Especially after his comments that he wasn’t impressed with my last fight. After this fight, I’ll ask him if he’s impressed or not.

Gegard Mousasi (right) will provide dangerous opposition to Fabian Edwards in May

Edwards, pictured after knocking out Lyoto Machida last May, has been on the rise

‘I know I’m going in there focused and ready to take him out, simple as that.’

And having seen his brother claim UFC gold in spectacular fashion by knocking out Kamaru Usman last year, the 29-year-old is inspired to one day follow in his title-winning footsteps. 

He went on: ‘Leon winning a UFC title doesn’t create any added pressure for me, he has just inspired me. 

‘He has shown everyone that you can do it all from Birmingham, by trusting in your coach and your team. As long as you put the work in, you can achieve it.

‘I look forward to going out there and being the second brother to bring a world MMA title back to Birmingham.’

The event in Paris is the third time Bellator have returned to the French capital 

It is the third trip to Paris for Bellator since MMA was legalised in France and the event will be broadcast live on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.

Mousasi lost his last fight by unanimous decision against Johnny Eblen last year and was dethroned as Bellator’s middleweight champion. 

He will be looking to bounce back straight away and is relishing the chance to compete in Paris. 

The veteran said: ‘It’s going to have been almost 11 months since I last fought, so firstly I’m happy to back. I had an injury setback last year which was frustrating but I’m ready to go and I’m excited for this fight. 

‘It’s also great to be fighting in Paris. The city is just a car journey away for me, so I’ll be bringing lots of family, friends and people from my gym with me. I’m always excited to have the opportunity to step out and perform, but to do it somewhere which is almost like a home event for me, makes it even better.’

Edwards is a dangerous striker and will relish the main event spot in Paris 

And the 37-year-old is predicting a finish, adding: ‘Edwards is a classic stand-up fighter, who can be dangerous with his strikes and kicks. He’s a southpaw too which makes him slightly trickier. Having said that, I think he’s a good opponent for me style-wise. 

‘A stand-up fighter makes for a good match-up for me. I’ll have the advantage on the ground with my wrestling ability and I feel confident I’ll get the finish.’ 

In the co-main event, Sidney Outlaw will face Paris’ own Mansour Barnaoui in a quarter-final of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix. 

Florida’s Outlaw has three wins in his last five and Barnaoui is riding high on an eight-fight winning streak with an impressive 95 per cent stoppage rate. 

Preliminary card action has begun to take shape with a pair of lightweight bouts featuring Manchester, England’s Saul Rogers and Kane Mousah taking on Frenchmen Davy Gallon and Thibault Gouti respectively. 

Tickets for BELLATOR Paris: Mousasi vs. Edwards are on sale now and can be purchased at accorarena.com and bellator.fr. 




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