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Leon Edwards Issues a 9-Words Statement Following the Loss of His Brother at Bellator 299 to Johnny Eblen

Published 09/24/2023, 2:07 PM EDT

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Leon Edwards is the welterweight champion of the UFC. He defeated the nigh unbeatable boogeyman of the UFC Kamaru Usman. The first time he defeated the Nigerian was in their second bout at UFC 278. Edwards shockingly knocked Usman out with a brutal head kick, shocking the UFC world.

Most chalked it up to a fluke that Usman, they were sure, would be right in the rematch. Of course, he didn’t and Edwards beat him much more convincingly in their third match. But, few UFC fans know but ‘Rocky’s brother Fabian Edward is also a mixed martial artist who fights for Bellator in their middleweight division, where he fought for the title Saturday night.

Leon Edwards sends a message to brother ahead of the latter’s title bout

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In a post on his Instagram Story, Leon Edwards posted a picture of his brother Fabian with the words “win lose or draw proud of you tonight #teamedwards”. He posted this after Fabian’s Bellator middleweight bout against champion Johnny Eblen Saturday night.

via Imago

The prospect of both brothers being champions would have been very enticing for the brothers. However, Eblen rained on their parade and knocked Fabian out in the third round at Bellator 299 to retain his title. Leon was cornering his brother at the event held at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

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Leon jumps into the cage after brother’s loss

After knocking Fabian out, Eblen screamed at his half-conscious opponent as he lay on the canvas. Fabian’s team, including Leon, confronted the fighter for his unsportsmanlike conduct after the victory. The Bellator middleweight champion even challenged Leon to a fight. However, after he went to his stool and sat down for a moment, Eblen apparently cooled down and reconsidered his behavior. He went up to Edwards’ corner and apologized.

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He later explained that he approached Fabian’s team to squash the beef. He stated his emotions had been running high after the victory and even praised Leon as a great fighter. The Iowa native also floated a potential fight against Leon, who he felt might come up to middleweight after some time. For the time being, however, Leon’s eyes will probably be set on his upcoming title defense against Colby Covington at UFC 296 on December 16. But, a fight down the line to avenge his brother’s defeat and humiliation seems like a marketable fight. What are your predictions for UFC 296? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch This Story – Watch: Dana White calls Kamaru Usman his welterweight GOAT over GSP

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Written by:

Kanishk Thakur

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Kanishk Thakur is an MMA writer at EssentiallySports. A graduate in political science from Delhi University, his love for writing and MMA made him want to be part of telling the story of the sport. His journalist mother and love for philosophy and research inculcated a staunch rationalism in him, and the need to substantiate every statement he makes with good evidence.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Das