LONDON – Mike Shipman is glad he didn’t accept Fabian Edwards’ callout two years ago, because now they get to fight on a much bigger platform at Bellator Europe 6.
“I think this is the right time,” Shipman told MMA Junkie at Bellator Europe 6 media day. “When he was first opening his mouth I didn’t know who he was. He was 3-0. Now he’s got a good promotional push, people know who he is. This wouldn’t have been a co-main event type of fight a couple of years ago. It is now. So I would say it is the perfect time for this fight.”
Shipman (13-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA), who meets Edwards (8-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) on Saturday’s card, which takes place at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London and streams on MMA Junkie, made a valid argument about the stakes of the matchup. The middleweight pairing is crucial to the landscape of Bellator’s middleweight division.
After putting together four straight wins to begin his Bellator tenure, Shipman suffered a loss to Costello van Steenis in June. Now Edwards is the one on the rise with a Bellator winning streak, and it’s Shipman’s job to end it.
Shipman said he’s “too physical” for Edwards and is unlike anyone his fellow Brit has shared the cage with thus far. He knows Edwards, who is the younger brother of UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards, has hype behind him, though, so a win at Bellator Europe 6 is valuable.
“I’m coming off that loss to Costello, so I feel like my foot slipped off the ladder right now, but this is my opportunity to put it straight back on there and I’m back on my climb towards the title,” Shipman said. “A dominant win over Fabian, who is getting so much attention, so much push from the company, that’s really going to put me back in the picture.”
For more from Shipman, watch the video linked above.
Mike Shipman plans to end Fabian Edwards' 'promotional push' at Bellator Europe 6
