Fabian Edwards thinks BAMMA ‘mistake’ led to Bellator U.K. signings, sees ‘options’ on horizon

Fabian Edwards is one of the most promising quantities on the European scene, and he has just one fight remaining on his current BAMMA contract.

As one of the most highly touted prospects on the U.K. scene, Edwards’ name was considered a glaring omission on the recent list of mass signings Bellator made in the location.

The vast majority of Bellator’s new signings have a history with BAMMA, and despite being signed to the U.K. promotion, Edwards believes it was a BAMMA mistake that led to Bellator snapping up a lot of the talent in the area.

“I think it’s a good move from Bellator,” Edwards told MMA Fighting.

“The promotion is trying to move into the U.K. market, so it can only be seen as a mistake from BAMMA for not signing all of these guys. A lot of those guys that went to Bellator had competed with BAMMA, but they never had contracts. It’s a smart move from Bellator, if you’re moving into the U.K. you have to sign U.K. fighters.”

The 5-0 middleweight believes he will have “other options” on the table following the final bout on his BAMMA deal, so he isn’t concerned that he was not one of the fighters that was snapped up by Bellator.

“It means nothing to me. I consider myself better than all of the guys that were signed by Bellator. I think most people can put two and two together here. Everyone has been asking why Bellator has not signed me, if you use your head you’ll realize that I’m aiming for other things. I’m keeping my options open.”

Edwards has been calling for a title showdown with BAMMA for the guts of a year, but he thinks the promotion might be reluctant when it comes to giving him a championship date due to his looming free agency.

“I think that’s what [BAMMA’s] angle is, but really and truly, I don’t need a title to get to where I need to go to,” said Edwards. “My fights and my finishes will get me where I want to go. I don’t need a title, but I wouldn’t mind having a shiny object in my cupboard. I think [BAMMA] have taken the piss in a sense because they’ve given certain people title shots and they didn’t deserve it. I think I’m in a position where I should’ve been fighting for the title in my last fight. My mind frame now is: I don’t need a title shot to get to where I need to be. If [BAMMA] want to give me the title shot then so be it, if not, it won’t slow me down one bit.”

BAMMA has recently re-signed former promotional champion and former UFC middleweight, Tom Watson. Edwards claims he asked for Watson in his next fight, but insisted that the U.K. veteran isn’t interested.

“I’ve called for a fight with Tom, but I don’t think he’s come back looking for any sort of hard work. I think he’s just an old boy now, he’s probably just looking for some change so he can book a holiday or something. He hasn’t come back to fight someone like me; he hasn’t come back to get his chin tested. I’ve asked for the fight, but that won’t be happening,” he explained.

“I won’t be fighting Leeroy Barnes either, that guy’s a f*ckin’ can. He’s a proper can, so that wouldn’t do anything for my career. I’m just going to see who BAMMA have got for me, but at the end of the day, I don’t give a sh*t no more. I’ll smoke whoever they put in front of me and I’ll move on from there.”

Leon Edwards, Fabian’s older brother, recently stated that he sees his brother fighting one more time for BAMMA in December before he joins him in the UFC. Fabian also sees his himself contesting the last fight on his current contract in December, after which he will consider his next move.

“That’s where [Leon’s] coming from and that’s where I’m coming from too. You know Leon, he’s pretty accurate with these things. I think I fight, maybe for the belt, in December, I win in spectacular fashion again and I’ll move on from there. If BAMMA don’t want to respect me the way they should, they don’t have to. I’m still the best up-and-coming fighter around, with or without the belt. In December after the fight, I’ll sit down with who I need to sit down with and I’ll make my next move.”

Although “The Assassin” seemed to be a bit disgruntled by his current situation with the promotion, he didn’t completely rule out signing on for another term with BAMMA.

“It all depends on the options that are on the table. I’ve had a few options pending for a while, so it depends on what that situation is like. I’m aiming for great things, I’m not aiming to be on the second best show or the third best show. I’m aiming to fight for the best and to fight against the best. I’ll have to wait and see what my options are.”