Fabian Edwards (born 24 March 1993) is an English professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

. He is the younger brother of

Leon Edwards Leon Edwards (born 25 August 1991) is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Welterweight Champion. A professional ...

, the former UFC Welterweight champion.

Background

Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where he and his family shared a single bed, one room, and a wooden house. They were living in squalor without realising it. Edwards's father was the boss of a neighbourhood gang, going by the name "The General." Edwards became desensitised to gun violence since it occurred so frequently in his neighbourhood where gang and criminal activity were rife. Gunshots were commonplace. When Edwards was seven years old, his parents divorced, and his father was already residing in London while continuing to provide for the family financially from afar. They relocated to England to be closer to him, first to London and then to Aston, Birmingham. There were gangs there as well, and until they discovered MMA and formed Team Renegade, they spent their time blending in. Fabian started MMA five to six years after Leon, at the age of 16, due to the insistence of his brother. When Edwards was eleven, his father was shot dead in a London nightclub.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Prior to going pro, he had a 9–0 record as an amateur. He rose up the ranks by working as a janitor and a carpenter. He did not leave his janitorial position until after signing his first deal with Bellator, at which point he believed his MMA career was already well started. The younger Edwards alternated between a day job and a fighting career for many years, working both jobs to exhaustion. But someday, he assured them, "I'd be making enough money not to do that. I simply persisted, and it sort of paid off. Before joining the British organisation

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

, he made his professional MMA debut with Bellator on 19 May 2017 against Rafał Cejrowski, winning by flying knee knockout in the first round. He reeled off five straight stoppages under the BAMMA promotion to start off his career in style. Starting with Aaron Kennedy via rear-naked choke at BAMMA 30, Louis King via rear-naked choke at BAMMA 33, Kent Kauppinen via armbar at BAMMA 34, and finally Claudio Conti via body kick TKO at BAMMA 35.

Bellator MMA

After his highlight flying knee knockout, Edwards signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator. Edwards faced Lee Chadwick on 9 February 2019 at Bellator Newcastle, defeating the experienced veteran via unanimous decision. Debuting in his hometown for the first time, Edwards faced Falco Neto on 4 May 2019 at Bellator Birmingham, defeating Neto in highlight fashion, landing multiple upkicks on Neto that knocked him down, afterwards being finished by Edwards on the ground. Neto later tested positive for metabolites of

methyltestosterone Methyltestosterone, sold under the brand names Android, Metandren, and Testred among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is used in the treatment of low testosterone levels in men, delayed puberty in boys, at low ...

and

nandrolone Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an endogenous androgen. It is also an anabolic steroid (AAS) which is medically used in the form of esters such as nandrolone decanoate (brand name Deca-Durabolin) and nandrolone phenylpropionate ...

and was handed down a six-month suspension. After the win, Edwards signed a new deal with Bellator and in his first bout of the deal faced Jonathan Bosuku on 22 June 2019 at Bellator 223. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Edwards faced Mike Shipman on 23 November 2019 at Bellator London 2, defeating him in a close bout via split decision. After initially being booked against Costello Van Steenis for 16 May 2020 at Bellator London 3, the event was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. The bout was rebooked for 26 September 2020 at Bellator Milan 2, where Fabian lost his first bout in his career via split decision. Edwards faced

Austin Vanderford Austin Vanderford (born March 21, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist, who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He previously fought in Bellator MMA, where he contended for the Be ...

on 21 May 2021 at

Bellator 259 Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by Bellator MMA at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event featured a Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the ch ...

, losing the bout via unanimous decision. Edwards, as a replacement for Norbert Novenyi, was scheduled to face

Charlie Ward Charlie Ward Jr. (born October 12, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and current head coach for the Florida A&M Rattlers. Ward was an exceptional college football player as w ...

Bellator 270 Bellator 270: Queally vs. Pitbull 2 (also known as ''Bellator Dublin'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on November 5, 2021 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The event marked Bellator's first return to Irish s ...

on 5 November 2021. Ward had to pull out however due to a ruptured bicep and was replaced by promotional newcomer Robert Fonseca. Fonseca couldn't get paperwork sorted in time and the bout was scratched, with no replacement sought. Edwards was scheduled to face Marian Dimitrov at

Bellator 275 Bellator 275: Mousasi vs. Vanderford was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on February 25, 2022, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background In the main event, Gegard Mousasi defended his Middleweight titl ...

on 25 February 2022. However, the bout was scrapped a week before for unknown reason. Edwards was rebooked against

Lyoto Machida is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as a UFC Middleweight Championship title challenger. He mos ...

Bellator London ''Bellator 281: MVP vs. Storley'' (also known as '' Bellator London'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 13, 2022, at SSE Arena in London, England. Background Yaroslav Amosov was to make his firs ...

. Edwards faced former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

on 13 May 2022 at

Bellator 281 ''Bellator 281: MVP vs. Storley'' (also known as '' Bellator London'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 13, 2022, at SSE Arena in London, England. Background Yaroslav Amosov was to make his firs ...

. He won the fight via knockout in the first round, catching Machida with an elbow after breaking from a clinch. Edwards faced

on 29 October 2022 at

Bellator 287 ''Bellator 287: Piccolotti vs. Barnaoui'' (also known as ''Bellator Milan'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, that took place on October 29, 2022, at the Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, Italy. Background The event marke ...

. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Edwards faced

Gegard Mousasi Gegard Mousasi (born 1 August 1985) is a Dutch mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. Mousasi most recently competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former two-time Bellator Middleweight Champion. He is also the former DREAM Light Heavywe ...

in a Bellator Middleweight title eliminator fight on 12 May 2023, at

Bellator 296 ''Bellator 296: Mousasi vs. Edwards'' (also known as ''Bellator Paris'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 12, 2023, at Accor Arena in Paris, France. Background The event marked the promotion's thir ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Edwards faced

Johnny Eblen Johnny Eblen (born December 13, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who last fought in Bellator MMA, where he was the last Middleweight World Champion. Background Eblen, born to a Korean mother and American father, was a sta ...

for the

Bellator Middleweight Championship Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") was an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...

on 23 September 2023, at

Bellator 299 ''Bellator 299: Eblen vs. Edwards'' (also known as ''Bellator Dublin'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, that took place on September 23, 2023, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background The event marked the promotio ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the third round. Edwards faced Aaron Jeffery on 22 March 2024, at

Bellator Champions Series 1 ''Bellator Champions Series 1: Anderson vs. Moore'' (also known as ''Bellator Champions Series Belfast'' and ''Bellator 302'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, that took place on March 22, 2024, at the SSE Arena in Belfas ...

. In a bout filled with lots of clinching against the fence, Edwards came out with a unanimous decision victory. Edwards was scheduled to rematch

for the

on 14 September 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 5. On September 3, the bout was rescheduled for a later date with no reason given. The bout was rebooked to take place on 19 October 2024 at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants. Edwards lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Professional Fighters League

On February 25, 2025, the promotion officially revealed that Edwards joined the 2025 PFL Middleweight Tournament. In the quarterfinal, Edwards faced

Impa Kasanganay Impa Armand Kasanganay (born January 17, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). He formerly competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions ...

on April 18, 2025, at PFL 3. Initially Edwards withdrew from the tournament for unknown reasons and was briefly been replaced by Jordan Newman. Subsequently, it was announced that Edwards was pushed back in his original spot. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 14–4 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

PFL 3 (2025) The ''PFL 3'' mixed martial arts event for the 2025 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on April 18, 2025, at Soundstage 19 of Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida, United States. This event marked the quarterfinal of the ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

, Saudi Arabia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Aaron Jeffery , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:21 ,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

, KO (elbow and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Costello van Steenis , Decision (split) , Bellator Milan 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Mike Shipman , Decision (split) , Bellator London 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Jonathan Bosuku , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 223 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Falco Neto , TKO (upkicks and punches) , Bellator Birmingham , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Lee Chadwick , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator Newcastle , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Claudio Conti , TKO (body kick) , BAMMA 35 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Kent Kauppinen , Submission (armbar) , BAMMA 34 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:52 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Louis King , Submission (rear-naked choke) , BAMMA 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Aaron Kennedy , Submission (rear-naked choke) , BAMMA 30 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:44 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Rafał Cejrowski , KO (flying knee) , Bellator 179 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:44 ,

, England , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Fabian 1993 births Living people English male mixed martial artists Jamaican male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bellator male fighters English practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Jamaican practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century English sportsmen 21st-century Jamaican sportsmen

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Bellator MMA

Professional Fighters League

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links