I think way too many people are ignoring the wrestling aspect of this fight since Edwards has finished guys so quickly. The other big factor could be the size differential. People always just say "Bermudez wrestled division 1", but they don't really look into it. He wrestled for Bloomberg mainly at 149 lbs. He ended up quitting his 4th season, and he was eligible to wrestle for a 5th and did not. So he left more than a year and half of college wrestling on the table. Edwards was with Arizona State and Old Dominion. He settled at 174 lbs. I'd definitely give Edwards the edge in collegiate wrestling background, and he did it at a higher weight.
I don't think we'll see Bermudez being able to outwrestle Edwards here. Keep in mind Edwards is at MMA Lab. He's not at some "yes man" team. There is no way he's not wrestling and grappling day in and day out. When I look back at Bermudez's career, he's had 5 wins in his last 11 fights. Three of those wins were against guys ok with fighting on their back or where he had an absolutely clear wrestling advantage. The other 2 were Kawijiri and Guida, and this was when Bermudez looked absolutely at the top of his game. That same Bermudez would have had an easy time with someone like Rick Glenn or Andre Fili, and I think that Bermudez would have looked a lot better than he did vs. Elkins.
I just see a guy who looks like he's clearly declined, he's moving up a weight class, and he doesn't have a wrestling advantage which he's depended on before. He's going up against someone with a better wrestling background, in his natural weight class (wrestled higher at that), who hits hard, and is training at a good camp. Edwards could end up being a flop, but I feel all of the signs are there that this should be a favorable matchup for him.
