While the fight was confirmed during Scott Cocker’s Friday press conference at Bellator 296 after the fight, the official announcement has arrived: Johnny Iblin vs. Fabian Edwards will take place at Bellator Dublin on September 23, 2023.
Promotion officials announced the fight for the middleweight title on Monday, along with two other high-profile bouts. Among them, the featherweight fight between Mads Purnell and Daniel Witchell. Pernell had been calling for that battle for quite some time, and he got his wish.
A second featherweight fight has also been announced on Monday, where Brian Moore is set to take on Brazil’s Otto Rodriguez. Originally, Rodriguez was scheduled to take on Aaron Biko in Hawaii last month, until an injury put him out of the bout.
Edwards (12-2) defeated Gegard Musasi last Friday in the main event of Bellator 296 in Paris, France to clinch the championship title against Ibelin. Ibelin (13-0) defeated Musasi for the title last June, and successfully defended the belt at Bellator 290 this past February, passing Anatoly Talkov with a unanimous decision victory.
Meanwhile, Pernell (17-5) pulled out a unanimous decision victory over Justin Gonzalez at Bellator 295 in Honolulu, Hawaii last month to take on a two-fight skid. This saw the Danish featherweight renew his invitation to fight Weichel. German Weichel (42-14) has spent the past nine years with Bellator MMA, trading winnings and losses in his past six fights. Former M-1 World Champion, Daniel Witchell is a two-time Bellator title contender, winning the Season X Featherweight Enhancement Championship.
More battles are expected to be added to Bellator Dublin at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland soon.