The dream of Leon and Fabian Edwards becoming the first brother duo to simultaneously hold titles in the UFC and Bellator has lost its momentum, according to reigning the latter promotion’s middleweight champion Johnny Eblen. With Leon Edwards losing his UFC welterweight title to Belal Muhammad earlier this year, the aura surrounding the Edwards brothers as dual champions has dimmed.
Fabian Edwards is currently set to challenge Eblen for the Bellator middleweight championship, but the reigning champ is determined to put an end to his championship hopes for good, declaring that the hype around them is now a thing of the past.
In a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Eblen shared his plans to dismantle the Edwards’ brother’s hype train.
“I think so, I think the hype has kind of died down since Leon is not a champion anymore. I think that whole fantasy of them both being champions at the same time is pretty much gone. And I think the aura has died down. I am here to destroy it. I am here to completely put it to kaputs. Right now he is trying to help his brother get a Bellator world championship. I am not going to let it happen.”
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Fabian Edwards is set for a rematch with undefeated Bellator middleweight champ Johnny Eblen on October 19 in Saudi Arabia, as part of the PFL Battle of the Giants event headlined by Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira.
Edwards, who lost to Eblen in their first meeting last year, will be looking to make history as the first English Bellator champion since 2015. Eblen, meanwhile, remains unbeaten and has defended his title twice.
Meanwhile, as Fabian chases Bellator gold, his brother is working towards gettingg back on the track to UFC gold as soon as possible.
Leon targeted as Jorge Masvidal plots UFC return
Jorge Masvidal is gearing up for a potential UFC comeback, and he’s already got a few names in mind for his return. After enjoying some time outside the octagon—running his bare-knuckle MMA promotion and stepping back into the boxing ring—‘Gamebred’ announced his plans to unretire earlier this month.
While he’s waiting to see how the division shapes up, Masvidal has his eyes set on some familiar faces, including longtime rivals Leon Edwards and Michael Chandler. “I wouldn’t mind getting in the cage with those dudes,” Masvidal said, adding that both matchups would be exciting.
He also mentioned the possibility of fighting Nick Diaz, since his brother Nate is no longer on the UFC roster. “I just want to get a fight,” Masvidal said. “Maybe Nick after his next one—who knows? I just want to f*** somebody up.”
Masvidal hasn’t ‘f****’ anybody up in a long time so only time will tell how his UFC return will pan out. Maybe, he will re-ignite his rivalry with veteran Chael Sonnen, since the latter really wants to get his hands on the welterweight.
