Fabian Edwards and Austin Vanderford Fight in the Works for Bellator 259

Overtime Heroics Editorial

785 days ago

A top-tier fight between Fabian Edwards and Austin Vanderford is being lined up for Bellator 259, which is being held at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 21st. The news was released by Edward’s brother Leon Edwards, who discussed the subject in an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. Fabian Edwards and Austin Vanderford will more than likely co-main the event, with the women’s featherweight championship bout between Cris Cyborg and Leslie Smith headlining the event.

The Title Hunt Is on Between Fabian Edwards and Austin Vanderford

Fabian “The Assassin” Edwards (9-1, 5-1 Bellator) lost his first professional bout last time he was in action against Costello van Steenis. It was a close affair in September 2020, with Edwards losing the fight on a split decision.

A fight against Vanderford gives Edwards a chance to get his middleweight title charge back on track. In the new ranking system, Edwards is ranked fourth, just one place behind Vanderford. Gegard Mousasi currently holds the reigns and will soon be looking for a new challenger.

Austin “The Gentleman” Vanderford (10-0, 4-0 Bellator) finally gets the fight he deserves after being seriously impressive in his time in Bellator. Vanderford’s last fight came at Bellator 251, with a dominant victory over Vinicius de Jesus on a unanimous decision.

Vanderford appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018 and put in a quality display submitting Angelo Trevino with a rear-naked choke in the second round. He was never taken on by the UFC but Bellator took up the chance in 2019. He’s still unbeaten to this day, winning all of his four fights in the promotion.

With Fabian Edwards and Austin Vanderford lined up for Bellator 259, we currently only have five fights that have been announced so far. There will be more to come and, hopefully, we won’t lose any. So here’s what’s on the card so far:

Women’s Featherweight Title: Cris Cyborg vs Leslie Smith
Bantamweight: Brett Johns vs Matheus Mattos
Lightweight: Adam Piccolotti vs Georgi Karakhanyan
Light Heavyweight: Christian Edwards vs Ben Parrish
Middleweight: Fabian Edwards vs Austin Vanderford

Who do you see winning between Fabian Edwards and Austin Vanderford? Let us know your prediction in the comments below!

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Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images