Bellator
MMA is set to make its return to Paris, with the card official
following the
Bellator 296 weigh-ins.
Middleweight headliners Gegard
Mousasi and Fabian
Edwards both had no trouble making weight. However, two
preliminary contests were marred by participants missing weight,
with one of the fights being canceled. The most notable miss was
Steven
Hill coming in 3.8 pounds over the welterweight limit for his
fight against Nicolo
Solli, and the fight has been axed as a result. Additionally,
Romain
Debienne has been fined a percentage of his purse for coming in
at 172.4 pounds for his welterweight bout against Bourama
Camara.
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The 37-year-old known as “Dreamcatcher” returns to the Bellator
cage for the first time since dropping the title to Johnny
Eblen. The unanimous decision defeat snapped a four-fight win
streak. Mousasi (49-8-2) will look to show he still has more left
in the tank, and hit the scales at 185.6 pounds for the main
attraction.
This marks the biggest opportunity in the career of Edwards (11-2)
in his second Bellator main event. After dropping back-to-back
decisions to Costello
van Steenis and Austin
Vanderford, “The Assassin” bounced back with a vicious KO of
Lyoto
Machida and a decision victory over Charlie
Ward. Weighing 184.8 pounds, Edwards will look to use that
momentum to punch his ticket to a title fight.
Bellator 296 will air live on Showtime at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on
Friday. Prelims begin on YouTube at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
Bellator 296 Weigh-in Results:
Gegard
Mousasi (185.6) vs. Fabian
Edwards (184.8)
Mansour
Barnaoui (154.6) vs. Brent
Primus (154.6)
Douglas
Lima (185.8) vs. Costello
van Steenis (185.8)
Thibault
Gouti (155.6) vs. Kane Mousah
(155.2)
Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros (205.2) vs. Simon
Biyong (205.6)
Bourama
Camara (170.1) vs. Romain
Debienne (172.4)*
Asael
Adjoudj (150) vs. Georges
Sasu (149.6)
Fabacary
Diatta (145.4) vs. Keir Harvie
(145.8)
Christopher
Gonzalez (155.4) vs. Tim Wilde
(156)
Sarvarjon
Khamidov (140.6) vs. Kevin
Petshi (140.4)
Yves
Landu (145.8) vs. Piotr
Niedzielski (146.2)
Davy
Gallon (155.4) vs. Saul Rogers
(155.8)
Oliver
Enkamp (170) vs. Luca Poclit
(169.6)
Paula Cristina dos Santos Silva (126) vs. Denise
Kielholtz (125.2)
Steven
Hill (174.8)** vs. Nicolo
Solli (170.8)
* Debienne missed weight by 1.4 pounds and was fined a
percentage of his purse.
** Hill missed weight by 3.8 pounds and the fight has been
canceled.