Fabian Edwards experienced a range of emotions in recent weeks. Initially informed he was out of the upcoming PFL middleweight tournament, he eventually regained his spot and is now scheduled to fight Impa Kasanganay this Friday.
The issue stemmed from a visa problem preventing the British fighter from traveling to the United States for the bouts. Edwards credits his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, with resolving the complex situation. While admitting it was a distraction, Edwards maintained his focus on training for his upcoming fight.
“I got the call on a Sunday saying that I`m out,” Edwards told MMA Fighting. “It was some visa issue. Not so much an issue, just the time it took for my visa to come back wasn`t going to be back in time. But my manager, Ali [Abdelaziz], went and did his thing and sorted it out. The fact that he had to pull on his contracts to do that, I appreciate that a lot. It`s nice to have someone like that in your corner to sort it out. I`m grateful.”
He added, “To be honest, it got sorted out kind of quick [over] the span of a couple of days, but throughout the camp, it was in the back of my mind a little bit, but I just tried not to focus on it. I knew that I had to stay locked in. Regardless of whether I was going to fight or not, I had to make sure I was training properly and I done that.”
With limited slots available in an eight-person tournament format, Edwards is particularly thankful to have reclaimed his position, knowing he could potentially compete up to three times over the next few months.
“I`m happy,” Edwards stated. “To be able to have the opportunity to go in there and do that, especially when last week or whatever it was, I thought it was taken away from me. I was happy to be back in. I`ve always said I want a shitload of fights and I get my opportunity to do that.”
While Edwards feels positive about his prospects for 2025, the same cannot be said for some other athletes on the PFL roster.
Johnny Eblen, Edwards’ former opponent and the current Bellator middleweight champion, is one of several fighters who have publicly voiced concerns about lengthy periods of inactivity and a lack of clear communication from the PFL regarding their next fights.
“Still waiting on PFL for some fight news,” Eblen posted in February, noting his most recent bout was against Edwards in October 2024. “Haven`t heard a peep from Donn [Davis] or the PFL team. What`s going on, guys?”
Despite their professional rivalry, Edwards admits he feels empathy for his former opponent and other champions like Corey Anderson and Patchy Mix, who have also complained about significant gaps between fights.
“It’s sh*t. You know what I mean?” Edwards commented. “There’s no other way to say about it. It’s sh*t. They need to sort it out because that could very much be me. In my mind, I’m not thinking because I’m fighting, f*ck everyone else. No, this is how we make our earning, this is what we put all our time and effort into.”
“To see all those guys on the sidelines for a year or over a year, it’s craziness. I just hope they can sort out what they need to sort out.”
Although the PFL is planning several “champion” series events for 2025, with the first card anticipated for early summer, the limited number of available slots means there`s considerable uncertainty about when or if certain athletes will compete.
Edwards understands the frustration Eblen and other fighters are facing, especially given the lack of clarity regarding their future schedules.
“We’re going out there and putting our health on the line,” Edwards said. “I know obviously it’s our choice, but we’re still going out there and putting it on all the line. The fact that fighters get the worst end of the stick, it’s shitty. But this is what we choose.”
Despite their two previous encounters, Edwards holds no animosity towards Eblen. If anything, he hopes the Bellator middleweight champion gets back to fighting soon, potentially paving the way for a future rematch one day.
While a third fight isn`t guaranteed, Edwards intends to do his part by winning the PFL middleweight tournament, hoping Eblen might also be open to the idea.
“I hope they fight him soon,” Edwards said regarding Eblen. “I hope they fight all the guys soon. This is how we make our living. This is what we sacrifice everything for. Hopefully, they sort everything out.”
“But yeah, I get through the tournament, and I will be eyeing up that third fight. I will be looking for that third fight.”
Percy Harlow