Bellator MMA today confirmed that Fabian “The Assassin” Edwards (9-0) will join the main card of Bellator London: Gallagher vs. Ellenor, where he will take on Dutch fighter Costello ‘The Spaniard’ van Steenis (12-2) in an explosive middleweight co-main event at The SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday, May 16.
Edwards and van Steenis join Irish hero James “The Strabanimal” Gallagher and his rival Cal “Pacino” Ellenor from Sunderland on the main card, who meet in a highly anticipated, rebooked bantamweight main event.
The news follows the announcement that former international rugby star James Haskell will step into the Bellator cage for the first time at the London event, launching his professional MMA career against an as yet unconfirmed opponent.
The event promises to be another blockbuster European Series card and comes after Bellator hosted two successful fight nights in the English capital in 2019.
Tickets for Bellator London: Gallagher vs. Ellenor go on general sale today, Friday, Feb. 28, and can be purchased online at ssearena.co.uk, www.axs.com/uk or ticketmaster.co.uk.
The event will air LIVE at 10 p.m. BST on Channel 5 in the UK. In the U.S., the event will be streamed live on Bellator MMA’s YouTube Channel at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT.
Middleweight fan favourite Fabian Edwards will once again put his undefeated record on the line as he steps up for his first fight of 2020. Edwards, who trains at Team Renegade in his hometown of Birmingham, beat Mike Shipman by a split decision in his previous outing at Bellator London: MVP vs. Melillo. The 26-year old will now seek to complete a ten-fight winning streak as he co-headlines on his big return to London.
Standing in his way will be 27-year old Costello van Steenis, the fiery middleweight who trains at MMA Vlaardingen in the Netherlands and is mentored by former middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. Van Steenis is no stranger to headlining and will be seeking to bounce back from defeat at the hands of John Salter at Bellator 233: Salter vs. Van Steenis in Oklahoma last year. While his training partner Mousasi prepares to challenge Douglas Lima for the middleweight title in May, van Steenis will be doing everything in his power to spoil Edward’s unbeaten run and silence the fans in London.
With further bouts set to be announced in the coming weeks, fans can look forward to another stacked card and an unforgettable night of world-class MMA action in London.
For all Bellator London: Gallagher vs. Ellenor announcements, follow@mikewhoatv and @WHOATV on Twitter for all the latest updates.
Updated Bellator London: Gallagher vs. Ellenor Card:
Bantamweight Main Event: James Gallagher (10-1) vs. Cal Ellenor (8-2)
Middleweight Co-Main Event: Fabian Edwards (9-0) vs. Costello van Steenis (12-2)
Heavyweight bout: James Haskell (Pro Debut) vs. TBC