The return of the Bellator brand to England’s capital has taken a major blow less than two weeks out.
After the Professional Fighters League (PFL) acquired Bellator MMA and announced the Bellator Champions Series, founder Donn Davis outlined plans for two titles to be on the line at each of the eight events.
While that promise came through for event one in Belfast, the subsequent cards in Paris and Dublin saw just one piece of gold at stake. And although that trend continues in San Diego this week, London has now lost its one and only championship clash.
Following a lightweight title showdown between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alexandr Shabliy on US soil this coming Saturday, the Bellator Champions Series will cross the pond to stage its fifth event of the year inside London’s OVO Arena Wembley.
But just days out, fans planning to attend have received some disastrous news…
Eblen vs. Edwards Postponed, McCourt Headlines Championshipless Champions Series Card
Topping the lineup on Sept. 14 was scheduled to be middleweight kingpin Johnny Eblen and England’s own Fabian Edwards, with the latter slated to challenge for “The Human Cheat Code’s” title for the second time in as many years.
On Tuesday, however, a post on the Bellator MMA social media accounts announced that the pair’s main event has been scrapped from the card and will be rescheduled for a later date. The reason for the cancellation is unclear as of this writing.
With insufficient time to book a replacement bout with similar stakes and name value, the original women’s featherweight co-main event between Leah McCourt and Sara Collins has been elevated to the headline spotlight.
That news was met with frustration from plenty of UK fans, some of whom took to the comment sections on X and Instagram to enquire about possible refunds.
Below the promoted main event matchup, notable UK names like former PFL Europe standout Simeon Powell, ex-UFC contender Marc Diakiese, and highly touted American Archie Colgan are all set to be in action.
