Fabian Edwards

Fabian Edwards (born 24 March 1993) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the 2025 PFL Middleweight Tournament Champion. He is the younger brother of former UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards. As of January 27, 2026, he is #2 in the PFL middleweight rankings.

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, 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. 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 and nandrolone 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 on 21 May 2021 at Bellator 259, losing the bout via unanimous decision.

Edwards, as a replacement for Norbert Növényi Jr., was scheduled to face Charlie Ward at Bellator 270 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 on 25 February 2022. However, the bout was scrapped a week before for unknown reason. Edwards was rebooked against Lyoto Machida at Bellator London.

Edwards faced former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida on 13 May 2022 at Bellator 281.

Edwards faced Charlie Ward on 29 October 2022 at Bellator 287. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Edwards faced Gegard Mousasi in a Bellator Middleweight title eliminator fight on 12 May 2023, at Bellator 296. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Edwards faced Johnny Eblen for the Bellator Middleweight Championship on 23 September 2023, at Bellator 299. He lost the fight via knockout in the third round.

Edwards faced Aaron Jeffery on 22 March 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 1. In a bout filled with lots of clinching against the fence, Edwards came out with a unanimous decision victory.

Edwards was scheduled to rematch Johnny Eblen for the Bellator Middleweight Championship on 14 September 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 5. On 3 September 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 25 February 2025 the promotion officially revealed that Edwards joined the 2025 PFL Middleweight Tournament.

In the quarterfinal, Edwards faced Impa Kasanganay on 18 April 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.

In the semifinals, Edwards faced Josh Silveira at PFL 7 on 27 June 2025. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Edwards faced Dalton Rosta in the final at PFL 10 on 21 August 2025. He won the fight via head kick knockout in the third round.

Edwards faced Costello van Steenis in a rematch for the PFL Middleweight Championship on 20 March 2026, at PFL Champions Series 6. He lost the bout via knockout in the third round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Professional Fighters League 2025 PFL Middleweight Tournament Champion

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Costello van Steenis KO (elbows) PFL Madrid: van Steenis vs. Edwards 2

Madrid, Spain Win

Dalton Rosta KO (head kick) PFL 10 (2025)

Hollywood, Florida, United States Win

Josh Silveira Decision (unanimous) PFL 7 (2025)

Chicago, Illinois, United States Win

Impa Kasanganay TKO (punches) PFL 3 (2025)

Orlando, Florida, United States Loss

Johnny Eblen Decision (unanimous) PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Win

Aaron Jeffery Decision (unanimous) Bellator Champions Series 1

Belfast, Northern Ireland Loss

Johnny Eblen KO (punches) Bellator 299

Dublin, Ireland Win

Gegard Mousasi Decision (unanimous) Bellator 296

Paris, France Win

Charlie Ward Decision (unanimous) Bellator 287

Milan, Italy Win

Lyoto Machida KO (elbow and punches) Bellator 281

London, England Loss

Austin Vanderford Decision (unanimous) Bellator 259

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Loss

Costello van Steenis Decision (split) Bellator Milan 2

Milan, Italy Win

Mike Shipman Decision (split) Bellator London 2

London, England Win

Jonathan Bosuku Decision (unanimous) Bellator 223

London, England Win

Falco Neto TKO (upkicks and punches) Bellator Birmingham

Birmingham, England Win

Lee Chadwick Decision (unanimous) Bellator Newcastle

Newcastle, England Win

Claudio Conti TKO (body kick) BAMMA 35

Dublin, Ireland Win

Kent Kauppinen Submission (armbar) BAMMA 34

London, England Win

Louis King Submission (rear-naked choke) BAMMA 33

Newcastle, England Win

Aaron Kennedy Submission (rear-naked choke) BAMMA 30

Dublin, Ireland Win

Rafał Cejrowski KO (flying knee) Bellator 179

London, England