Bellator 296: Fabian Edwards beats Gegard Mousasi in Paris to set up middleweight title shot

Fabian Edwards bushed Gegard Mousasi by unanimous determination astatine Bellator 296 successful Paris to acceptable up a middleweight rubric combat against champion Johnny Eblen.

Following the bout, helium was confronted by American Eblen who was astatine cage-side.

"One much combat until I get that golden loop and we marque history," said Edwards.

The triumph moves Birmingham's Edwards, 30, a measurement person to MMA past and his imagination of joining his member Leon, who holds the UFC welterweight belt, arsenic a champion.

Siblings similar Anthony and Sergio Pettis, and Patricio and Patricky Freire, person each held satellite titles, but ne'er astatine the aforesaid clip crossed aggregate large MMA promotions.

Edwards came into the bout connected a two-fight triumph streak aft beating Lyoto Machida and Charlie Ward past twelvemonth - a tally which has seen him emergence to 2nd successful the Bellator middleweight rankings, 1 spot down Mousasi.

In Mousasi helium was facing a erstwhile champion himself, with the Dutch combatant antecedently holding the middleweight rubric earlier losing it to Eblen successful June.

Mousasi, 37, was taking portion successful the 60th bout of a distinguished 20-year MMA career, which has seen him header bouts crossed aggregate apical promotions, including the UFC and Strikeforce.

In the build-up, Edwards described the gathering with Mousasi up arsenic the biggest bout of his 13-fight career, which has yielded 11 wins implicit six years.

• 'That loop is mine' - Relive Edwards' classy triumph implicit Mousasi successful Paris

With Leon successful his corner, Edwards started the combat strongly, landing a crisp consecutive near connected Mousasi portion his country urged him to commencement utilizing his feet more.

There was contention successful the 2nd circular arsenic the combat was stopped pursuing an amerciable genu connected the crushed from a Mousasi - a determination that infuriated Edwards' corner, who demanded that the referee deduct a point.

The referee did not punish the erstwhile champion, but Edwards did not let himself to go distacted.

Throughout the adjacent rounds, Edwards mixed up his attacks well, landing a swift right-hand assemblage changeable operation connected Mousasi, peppering him with limb kicks and landing a takedown.

Mousasi secured a takedown of his ain but Edwards rapidly got backmost to his feet, and portion helium landed sporadic limb kicks connected the Briton, helium ne'er looked afloat comfy with his striking.

Going into the 5th round, Edwards' country told their combatant helium had "four rounds successful the bank" believing helium would unafraid triumph if helium survived the last 5 minutes.

Edwards past stamped his authorization connected the combat successful the closing stages arsenic helium took Mousasi down, gained backmost power and dictated the enactment connected the crushed until the last bell.

As the referee brought the fighters together, Edwards mouthed "I'm coming - that's my belt".

"There are levels. After I suffered my losses. A batch of radical wrote maine of, thought I was finished," said Edwards.

He past told Eblen "I similar that belt", earlier the champion responded "that I was a beauteous bully show but I'm a overmuch amended combatant - that loop is mine".

Disappointment for France's Barnaoui

In the co-main event, Brent Primus overcame vociferous enactment for location favourite Mansour Barnaoui arsenic helium crushed retired a unanimous determination triumph successful their Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix quarter-final.

Barnaoui, 30, was spurred connected by the Paris assemblage - with immoderate members letting disconnected flares, shouting done a megaphone and banging a drum - and successful the aboriginal stages of the combat relentlessly pressured American Primus, landing a fig of strikes against the cage.

Primus, 38, recovered successful the 2nd circular to power the combat connected the ground, but Barnaoui would travel backmost again successful the third, landing a succession of knees from the clinch to a visibly tiring Primus.

Primus looked adjacent to decision astatine 1 signifier arsenic helium fell to the crushed but survived until the 4th circular and, remarkably, gained power again successful the second stages of the contest.

A erstwhile lightweight champion, Primus out-grappled Barnaoui for the remainder of the combat and came adjacent to finishing the bout with a triangle and rear-naked choke earlier the doorbell rung.

He volition look existent champion Usman Nurmagomedov successful the semi-finals.

Elsewhere, Edwards' team-mate Tim Wilde extended his unbeaten streak to 5 arsenic helium bushed chap lightweight Chris Gonzalez by unanimous decision.

There was decision for Manchester's Kane Mousah, however, arsenic helium suffered a second-round knockout to location favourite Thibault Gouti, portion Scotland's Keir Harvie mislaid a determination to Fabacary Diatta.

Mousah's team-mate Saul Rogers' bout with Davy Gallon was declared a no-contest aft the referee mistakenly stopped the combat aboriginal portion Gallon was defending a submission hold.