Christian Edwards acknowledges the crowd's cheers after his victory by first-round TKO over Justin Vargas in Thackerville, Oklahoma on July 12. Edwards, an Oklahoma native who now lives and trains in Albuquerque, is scheduled to face Cesar Bennett on Friday on a Bellator MMA card in Thackerville. LUCAS NOONAN/BELLATOR MMA
Christian Edwards vs Ben Parrish rescheduled for Bellator 266 in September
Ther’s hope that the third time is the charm for Bellator MMA as they once again look to matchup Christian Edwards against Ben Parrish. Multiple sources confirmed to MyMMANews that Edwards will face Parrish at Bellator 266 in September, it is the promotion’s third attempt to book this matchup.
Back in May the two were originally scheduled to face at Bellator 259 but Christian Edwards was deemed medically unable to compete and was forced to withdraw. The second time they were scheduled was Bellator 261 which saw Parrish withdraw from that one. Instead of facing Parrish, Edwards would go on to defeat Simon Biyong by unanimous decision, Biyong’s first professional loss.
Christian Edwards is currently ranked eighth in the official Bellator MMA light heavyweight division, and the JacksonWink product is 5-0 in his career with three finishes to his credit, all of his fights have come under the Bellator promotion.
This will be the promotional debut for Ben Parrish, who has not yet had an opportunity to fight under Bellator because of the two canceled bouts against Edwards. Sitting at 4-1 in his professional career, Parrish last fought in November of 2019 where he suffered the first loss of his career due to a leg injury at Summit FC 33. All four of Parrish’s wins have come by submission.
With the matchup against Christian Edwards once again set, it’s a massive opportunity for Parrish to make a statement to the Bellator light heavyweight division, but also presents an opportunity for Edwards to once again establish himself as a rising contender.
Bellator 266 takes place on September 18 in San Jose, California at SAP Center. The card currently has five confirmed fights, including the main event which will see Phil Davis take on Yoel Romero in Romero’s promotional debut.
Here is the Bellator 266 card as it currently stands:
- Phil Davis vs Yoel Romero
- DeAnna Bennett vs Alejandra Lara
- Adam Piccolotti vs Saul Rogers
- Grant Neal vs Alex Polizzi
- Christian Edwards vs Ben Parrish
