Bellator 296
Bellator 296: Mousasi vs. Edwards was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 12, 2023, at Accor Arena in Paris, France.
Background
The event marked the promotion's third visit to Paris and first since Bellator 280 in May 2022.A middleweight title eliminator bout between former two-time Bellator Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi and Fabian Edwards headlined the event.
A Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal bout between Mansour Barnaoui and Sidney Outlaw was scheduled to serve as the co-main event. However at the end of February, Outlaw tested positive for banned substances and was suspended, and was replaced by former Bellator Lightweight Champion Brent Primus.
A bantamweight bout between Brett Johns and Marcirley Alves, as well a middleweight bout between Gregory Babene and Kyle Stewart were scheduled for this event. However, the week of the event, Johns pulled out due to staph infection and Stewart was not approved by the commission due to his partial myopia.
At weigh-ins, Steven Hill weighed in at 174.8 pounds for his fight against Nicolo Solli – 3.8 pounds over the welterweight non-title bout limit, leading to Solli to refusing to accept the bout. Romain Debienne weighed in at 172.4 lbs, 1.4 pounds over the limit, and was fined a percentage of his purse which went to his opponent.