Austin Vanderford takes on Fabian Edwards at Bellator 259. This battle between ranked middleweights goes down on Friday, May 21st and broadcasts on Showtime.

Vanderford came on BTB to discuss several subjects including: -the Alaska/ Canada connection
-the journey of his transitioning from Alaska wrestling to Portland for MMA training purposes
-his amateur wrestling efforts being mindful of an eventual crossover into MMA
-Chael Sonnen playing a big role in jumpstarting his fight career on multiple levels
-going from the Portland circuit to Florida and training with American Top Team
-whether or not this Edwards contest is a title eliminator and thoughts on the rankings
-having thick skin with social media trolls and being a light-hearted guy with trash talk
-leaving the bare-knuckle boxing to his wife Paige Vanzant and the BKFC experience
-the mutual growth with Bellator MMA and his individual fighter efforts
-his run on the Submission Underground circuit and the confidence it gives his grappling skills