Fabian Edwards doesn’t see Johnny Eblen standing with him for too long.
Edwards (12-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) challenges middleweight champion Eblen (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 299, which takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Edwards is going up against an NCAA Division I wrestler in Eblen, but is confident that once he gets his hands on him, Eblen will be desperately shooting for takedowns.
“Be Fabian Edwards, and that’s land heavy shots on him, make him uncomfortable in there and turn him into a panic wrestler,” Edwards said during Thursday’s Bellator 299 media day. “At heart, that’s what he is. So you’re going to go back to what you are by me making him realize that real quick.”
According to BetMGM, Edwards is a +425 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the challenger would net a $425 profit. Eblen is a -600 favorite, meaning a $600 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100 profit.
Edwards once was undefeated himself, but after tasting defeat, he realized having an unbeatable mindset could be to his detriment.
“When you’ve never lost before, you think, ‘Nah, I can never lose. That would never happen to me,'” Edwards said. “That would be his downfall. He thinks he could never lose, and that’s a good mindset to have. But when I go in there, when the shots are flying at him and he’s in a fight, then he’ll realize.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.
