Christian Edwards, Kyle Crutchmer Among Additions to Bellator 249 Preliminary Card

Unbeaten prospects Christian Edwards and Kyle Crutchmer are among the notable additions to the Bellator 249 preliminary lineup.

A promotion official confirmed the following four contests to Sherdog.com on Wednesday: Edwards vs. Hamza Salim at light heavyweight; Crutchmer vs. Kemran Lachinov at welterweight; Tony Johnson vs. Joseph Creer at middleweight and Mike Kimbel vs. Da’mon Blackshear at 140 pounds.

Bellator 249 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Oct. 15 and is headlined by a women’s featherweight title clash between Cristiane Justino and Arlene Blencowe. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while the prelims stream immediately prior on Bellator’s YouTube channel.

Edwards, who trains at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is unbeaten in three Bellator appearances – including a pair of KO/TKO finishes in less than a minute. He last fought at Bellator 239, where he took a unanimous decision over DiMarcco Hutchison. Edwards was supposed to compete at Bellator 243 before his opponent withdraw a couple days before the event.

A two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, Crutchmer is 6-0 thus far in his MMA career – including a pair of triumphs under the Bellator banner. The American Kickboxing Academy product is coming off a first-round submission win over Scott Futrell at Bellator 239.