Christian Edwards vs. Ben Parrish bout at Bellator 259 cancelled, Valerie Loureda vs. Hannah Guy promoted to main card

Light heavyweight prospect Christian Edwards will not be competing at Bellator 259.

Officials announced Thursday that Edwards’ main card bout opposite Ben Parrish has been cancelled after Edwards was not medically cleared by the Mohegan Sun Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation to compete at Friday’s show in Uncasville, Conn.

Commission director Mike Mazzulli told MMA Fighting that Edwards failed a pre-fight physical.

A flyweight bout between Valerie Loureda and Hannah Guy has been promoted from the prelims to the main card.

Edwards and Parrish successfully made weight at Thursday’s early weigh-ins, with Edwards coming in at 202.7 pounds and Parrish at 205.3 pounds. This was to be the first fight of 2021 for both fighters and Parrish’s Bellator debut.

In four pro bouts so far, all for Bellator, Edwards is 4-0. The 22-year-old scored two wins in 2020, earning a decision over Marco Hutch and a second-round submission victory over Hamza Salim.