Edwards Outworks Mousasi, Primus Advances in Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix

The most romantic city in the world was on hand for Friday’s Bellator 296 card at the Accor Arena in Paris.

Middleweight contender Fabian Edwards (12-2, 8-2 BMMA) took a step outside of his older brother's shadow after outclassing middleweight legend Gegard Mousasi (49-9-2, 7-3 BMMA) over five-rounds in a Bellator MMA 185-pound title eliminator bout.

In a back-and-forth fight, Edwards proved to be slightly sharper on the feet than the 37-year old Mousasi. Heading into the final round, the contenders appeared to be tied on the scorecards, before a body lock would give Edwards control throughout most of the fifth. With the win, Edwards set himself up with a shot at Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (13-0, 9-0) Sept. 23 in Dublin.

In the co-main event, former Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus (12-3, 10-3 BMMA) advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix after grinding out a grueling unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) over hometown hero Mansour Barnaoui (20-5, 1-1 BMMA).

Primus and Barnaoui opened the first round trading punches like madmen. Someone must have forgotten to tell the two warriors that the bout was scheduled for 25 minutes, because the two spent the first stanza exchanging the other’s best. Barnaoui got the better of the action on the feet before Primus reverted to his superior wrestling in the fourth period. Taking the exhausted Barnaoui to the ground in the final two rounds was the push Primus needed to set himself up with a date with lightweight kingpin Usman Nurmagomedov.

Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima (33-11, 15-7 BMMA) moved up to middleweight, but was given all he could handle against Costello van Steenis.

Lima started off slow, trading leg kicks with van Steenis before the latter finished the round with a key takedown. Sensing his deficit on the scorecards, Lima picked up the paced and showcased the hand speed that made him an electrifying champion. Lima outstruck van Steenis over the last two rounds, snapping “The Spaniards” head back with straights and stiff jabs. After three rounds of action, Lima finally snapped a four-fight skid with a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Thibault Gouti’s return to his homeland couldn’t have gone any better. The 36-year-old former UFC fighter kicked off the Paris main card with a bang after dispatching Kane Mousah in two rounds. Gouti (17-6, 2-1 BMMA) brought the crowd to its feet in the first round after dropping the Brit with a two-piece combo.

Mousah (14-5, 3-3 BMMA), coming off a win over Georgi Karakhanyan, came out for the second round with a fire in his gut. “The Danger” backed up Gouti with heavy hooks and pressure. Gouti, with his back against the fence, traded back with before eventually landing a thudding right hook to Mousah’s jaw. Mousah crashed to the canvas before Gouti capped off his knockout win with a pair of hammerfists at the 3:58 mark.

After opening off the main card, Gouti called out Tim Wilde (16-4-1, 4-1-1 BMMA) for a lightweight clash. Wilde impressed earlier in the day with a three-round masterclass against Christopher Gonzalez.

In other action, Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros (8-4, 1 NC; 2-2 BMMA) snapped a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision win over Simon Biyong in light heavyweight action. Biyong (9-3, 2-2 BMMA) entered looking for a third-straight win, but all he found was Augusto’s consistent punches on the feet. Romain Diebenne (9-4, 1-0 BMMA) missed weight for his welterweight clash with the lanky Bourama Camara (5-3, 1-2 BMMA) but that didn’t keep him from a highlight-reel finish in the second round (1:04). Asael Adjoudj (6-1, 4-1 BMMA) defeated fellow Frenchman Georges Sasu (4-3, 2-3 BMMA) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27). Fabacary Diatta (9-1, 3-1) welcomed Bellator newcomer Keir Harvie to the organization in violent fashion, battering the Scot to a clear-cut unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 30-26). Takistan prospect Sarvarjon Khamidov kept his undefeated record intact (15-0, 2-0 BMMA) and bullied France’s Kevin Petshi (18-6, 0-1 BMMA) with relentless top pressure before finally breaking Petshi with a rear-naked choke late in the third round (1:33). Hometown favorite Yves Landu (19-9, 4-1 BMMA) defeated Piotr Niedzielski (18-5, 1-2 BMMA) in a tight unanimous decision above the featherweight limit. Saul Rogers' win over Davy Gallon was immediately overturned to a no contest after an incorrect ruling from referee Jacob Montalvo. Luca Poclit defeated Oliver Enkamp via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28). Former flyweight title challenger Denise Kielholtz cruised past Paula Cristina dos Santos Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) in the lone women’s bout on the card.