LONDON – Fabian Edwards and Mike Shipman stole the show at Friday morning’s Bellator Europe 6 official weigh-ins.
After they hit their respective marks on the scale, the two bitter rivals squared off face-to-face for the second time during fight week. The first time they met – at Thursday’s media day – things were relatively peaceful. Friday’s weigh-ins were the polar opposite.
After some jawing back-and-forth, the two fighters tangled arms before and nearly got into an all-out brawl before they were restrained by commission officials, promotion officials, and coaches.
“I just walked up to him, put my hands up, he flinched,” Edwards told MMA Junkie outside the Indigo at The O2 Arena, where he was scheduled to corner teammate Nathias Frederick at Cage Warriors 111 on Friday night. “I started laughing like, ‘What are you flinching for?’ He tried to put his hands on me, so I just gave him a little cheeky slap. Nothing much.”
During the sequence when all hell broke loose, Shipman’s teammate and Bellator Europe 6 headliner Michael Page took a run at Edwards. He too had to be restrained by the peacemakers. Edwards attributes Page’s involvement to jealousy.
“‘MVP’ came running in the room trying to get himself involved,” Edwards said. “I think it’s because no one cares about it and this fight is the real main event. He’s just trying to get himself involved in stuff he doesn’t need to be. It’s all a bit of fun.”
Bellator Europe 6 takes place Saturday at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London. The card streams on MMA Junkie.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full interview with Edwards in the video above.
Fabian Edwards explains 'little cheeky slap' of Mike Shipman at Bellator Europe 6 weigh-ins