PFL 2025 World Tournament One to Watch: Fabian Edwards

There is no shortage of contenders in the Professional Fighters League middleweight tournament semifinals, which feature Fabian Edwards, Dalton Rosta, Aaron Jeffery and Joshua Silveira at PFL 2025 World Tournament 7 this Friday in Chicago. All four semifinalists have either been top contenders or title challengers in the PFL or Bellator MMA. However, none has had as much of a spotlight as Edwards.

The brother of former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards, he has been a staple during his time with Bellator and wasted little time bringing that to PFL. Picking just one of these fighters as the one to watch is no easy task, but Edwards comes in as someone with a highly respected resume who has yet to claim a world title.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the Semifinals of the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, June 27 at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+

Taking on former PFL champion Impa Kasanganay in the first round of the world tournament back in April, Edwards made an emphatic statement with a technical knockout via flying knee and punches. Edwards continues to hover around the top of the middleweight division and has familiarity with the top names at 185 pounds, with his last four fights coming against Kasanganay, Jeffery and former Bellator champion Johnny Eblen (twice).

Eblen will fight for the PFL middleweight title when he faces Costello van Steenis in Cape Town, South Africa, on July 19, making the world tournament that much more intriguing. For Edwards, a win over Silveira gets him to the tournament championship, and if he wins the tournament, he would be an undeniable top contender for either van Steenis or Eblen.

Edwards has been undeniable as a contender over the past three years, and he’s now inching closer to achieving a career-long dream. The semifinalists in the middleweight bracket have all proven themselves throughout their careers, and there’s a strong case that it is the most exciting and intriguing bracket throughout the entire tournament.

Edwards has an opportunity to get revenge against Eblen if both men take care of business, and while they have jobs to do before any of that can happen, the PFL should be excited for the future of the division. Whether it’s Eblen, Edwards or the other three contenders, the promotion is home to some of the best middleweight fighters in the world. Edwards has solidified his spot, not only as a contender but as a legitimate threat to win the PFL tournament.