Austin Vanderford puts his undefeated record on the line against Fabian Edwards at Bellator 259

Austin Vanderford is set to fight Fabian Edwards in a fascinating middleweight bout on May 21 at Bellator 259, MMA Junkie reports.

The two rising contenders have both been viewed as future title contenders in the past and in a division where everything is up for grabs, there’s a decent chance a win for either man could take them a lot closer to the top.

Edwards holds a 9-1 record after losing to Costello van Steenis last year whereas Vanderford will be putting his undefeated record on the line.

In a recent Instagram post, Vanderford poked fun at what the main storyline could be heading into the fight.

“Paige Vanzant’s husband against Leon Edward’s brother. There, I fixed it for you guys.”

Bellator has been able to bring in a lot of big names as of late but they’re also doing a solid job of nurturing their own homegrown talent. Vanderford and Edwards are two of the many examples of that, and it’s a trend that is likely to continue.

Both men are clearly attempting to, as Vanderford alluded to, step out of the shadow that’s in front of them. Vanderford wants to prove he’s a whole lot more than PVZ’s husband and Fabian Edwards wants to make it clear that while Leon is an elite-level UFC fighter, that doesn’t mean Fabian isn’t elite in his own right.

There are a lot of ifs, buts and maybes about the two and it’ll be fascinating to see how they mesh together inside the cage. At the very least, it’s an unpredictable fight, and that’s rarely a bad thing in this game.

Do you think Austin Vanderford and Fabian Edwards will produce a great fight? Who do you think is the favorite heading into the contest? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!