Vanderford Gets ‘The Assassin’ At Bellator 259

Undefeated (10-0, 4-0 Bellator MMA) Welterweight contender, Austin Vanderford, is in line to make his return and first appearance of 2021 when he takes on Fabian Edwards at the recently announced Bellator 259 event, which goes down inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on May 21, 2021.

After failing to score a contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) despite an impressive submission win on the “Contender Series,” Vanderford — husband of Paige VanZant — found a home with Bellator MMA, racking up four straight wins to begin his career with the Viacom-owned promotion.

Edwards, meanwhile, is 4-1 inside the Bellator cage (9-1 overall), suffering the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career against Costello van Steenis via razor-thin split decision at Bellator Milan 2 in Sept. 2020.

Bellator 259 will be headlined by a women’s Featherweight title fight between division queenpin, Cris Cyborg, defending her strap against Leslie Smith, whom she defeated at UFC 198 in May 2016.

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