When Edwards faced wrong opponent - and won in four seconds

Fabian Edwards leans backmost successful his chair and laughs erstwhile he thinks of his very first conflict arsenic an amateur successful 2015.

"I'm successful nan backmost getting warmed up and I'm told my force is connected nan motorway, he's connected his way," Edwards tells BBC Sport.

"When nan clip comes for maine to make nan walk, I sewage successful nan cage and I'm like, 'Who's this'? There's a random personification successful nan cage - a wholly different person."

Edwards says nan force he was scheduled to conflict that evening successful his hometown, Birmingham, did not show up truthful nan promoters recovered a replacement connected nan night.

Edwards only recovered retired erstwhile he stepped successful nan cage and was faced pinch personification he did not recognise.

"I looked astatine my squad and they were like, 'Just transportation on'. We touched gloves and unluckily for him it was complete successful 4 seconds," added Edwards.

"That's astir apt my craziest conflict story."

Edwards' communicative is not excessively dissimilar to nan bedlam and disorder other fighters person knowledgeable astatine amateur level successful MMA.

Bouts are often fought for small to nary prize money, pinch fighters aiming to summation acquisition and gauge whether they could win arsenic a pro.

On Thursday successful Hollywood, Florida, Edwards' amateur profession will consciousness for illustration a life agone erstwhile he faces American Dalton Rosta successful nan last of nan PFL's yearly middleweight tournament.

The victor will person a $500,000 (£369,000) prize.

"I'm not sat present reasoning astir nan money. More truthful nan opportunity is big," said Edwards, 32.

"Since nan tourney started, I said I'm going to triumph it. Everything I said I was going to do, I've done successful this tournament. I said I'm going to extremity Dalton and that's what I genuinely believe."

Edwards is looking to travel successful nan footsteps of chap Briton Alfie Davis, who won nan PFL's lightweight tourney past week.

Despite nan title not yielding an charismatic world title, Edwards says he is treating it for illustration a title bout.

Edwards has suffered conclusion doubly earlier by Johnny Eblen for nan Bellator middleweight title successful 2023 and 2024, but has rebuilt himself this twelvemonth pinch 2 successive wins.

Edwards laughs jovially erstwhile asked if he knew a profession successful MMA would bring truthful galore highs and lows.

"I thought it would beryllium each highs, particularly erstwhile I was undefeated for six years aliases so," he says.

"But I've suffered a fewer losses now and I understand it's nan game. Even nan greats person losses, astir of them, truthful if they tin spell done it and still spell connected to go greats and champions, past why can't we?"

Should Edwards person beaten Eblen successful 2023, he would person joined his older relative Leon Edwards, who astatine nan clip held nan UFC's welterweight belt, arsenic a world champion.

Edwards' conclusion was followed by Leon, 33, losing his title to Belal Muhammad nan pursuing twelvemonth - losses which challenged morale astatine their gym successful Birmingham.

"It did impact it a spot but astatine nan aforesaid time, nan guys understand it's nan game," said Edwards.

"What it does show nan guys successful nan gym is I've suffered large defeats and I've travel back.

"And Leon arsenic good – he's backmost successful nan gym, he's coaching nan guys, he's not hidden distant somewhere. It's showing nan guys that life moves on."

Edwards tin sum up really he has learned to bounce backmost from defeats pinch 1 word: "Gratitude."

"If I suffer a monolithic fight, I look astatine my wide life and it's awesome – I've sewage patient kids, my family is patient and I've sewage a beautiful home," said Edwards.

"Life isn't complete aft defeat. I think, 'This stings, it really does', but my life is alright and I tin spell again - and that's what I've proved."