Fighters Only : Bellator 296 weigh-in results: All smiles in Paris as Mousasi and Edwards make weight for pivotal clash

Simon Head

May 11, 2023

The fighters are all weighed in, and the 14-bout card for Bellator 296 in Paris is now official.

All 28 fighters took to the scale ahead of fight night in the French capital, and all 28 successfully made their contracted weights for Friday night's event at the AccorHotels Arena.

The main event features a battle for title contendership in the Bellator middleweight division, with former champion Gegard Mousasi and contender Fabian Edwards set to go head to head for the right to face reigning champion – and the man who dethroned Mousasi – Johnny Eblen. The pair faced off for the final time at the ceremonial weigh-ins and enjoyed a good-natured conversation before hostilities get underway on Friday night.

Also set for action is a quarter-final bout in the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, as former lightweight champion Brent Primus takes on French contender Mansour Barnaoui in a bout that will propel the winner into a title fight with reigning lightweight king Usman Nurmagomedov in the tournament semi-finals.

The main card also features a fascinating middleweight clash between Dutch contender Costello van Steenis and former three-time Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima, who has jumped up a division to make a charge towards the 185-pound title.

Van Steenis, meanwhile, will be keeping his eyes on the main event, as his longtime friend, teammate and training partner Mousasi faces off against a man van Steenis has already defeated inside the Bellator cage.

The main card kicks off with a France vs. England clash at lightweight, as local favorite Thibault Gouti takes on Manchester's Kane Mousah.