Two and done? Gegard Mousasi eyes Bellator 296 win over Fabian Edwards to earn last title shot vs. Johnny Eblen
Gegard Mousasi might have two fights left in him before calling it a career.
Mousasi (49-8-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) enters his 60th professional fight when he meets Fabian Edwards (11-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) in a middleweight bout in Friday’s Bellator 296 headliner at Accor Arena in Paris. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Mousasi is coming off a title loss to Johnny Eblen, who dethroned him in dominant fashion at Bellator 282. The former Bellator and Strikeforce champion is looking to beat Edwards to earn a rematch with Eblen, who will be in attendance for the fight.
“After this fight, probably a title fight,” Mousasi told MMA Junkie. “That’s the only fight that makes sense. That’s my goal: Beat Fabian and fight for the belt one more time because it’s probably gonna be my last chance to fight for the belt.”
If Mousasi gets past Edwards, he sees the Eblen rematch potentially being the final fight of his career.
“Probably those are gonna be the last two fights to be honest, but I’m never gonna say anything until the fight happens,” Mousasi added. “But, beat this guy and go for the belt one more time, and that’s gonna decide if I’m gonna retire or not.”
Undefeated Eblen was able to score a lopsided win over Mousasi, but the 37-year-old simply chalks it off to an off night.
“I think he was better prepared. I think he was more hungry,” Mousasi said. “If he had let me get into the fight and do my thing, it would have been a good night for me. He was more hungry. He was better prepared. Training camp wasn’t that great, weight cut was more difficult, he took it more serious. No excuses, he was just better that night. So, that was the problem.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 296.
