[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] closed out his chapter with [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] in definitive fashion.
Eblen (16-0) out-grappled Edwards (13-4) for a unanimous decision win to retain his Bellator middleweight title at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Round 1 started with both men exchanging leg kicks. A straight right by Eblen stumbled Edwards back. Eblen charged forward with a combination and stacked Edwards against the cage. Edwards broke free, but Eblen nicely timed a double leg takedown and got him down. He slammed Edwards down a couple of times, but struggled to keep him down as the round ended.
Eblen took Edwards down early in Round 2 and controlled him for the majority of the five minutes. Edwards eventually made his way back up and landed a nice left hook in a flurry as time wound down.
Edwards looked much sharper on the feet to start off Round 3. Midway through the round, Eblen shot for a takedown and was successful. Eblen tried to take Edwards’ back, but Edwards defended well. Edwards scrambled back to his feet and landed a nice left. Eblen shot for another takedown, as he stacked Edwards against the cage.
In Round 4, Edwards found a home for the left counter twice. Eblen continued to stalk him as he eventually landed a takedown two minutes in. Eblen rode out back control for the rest of the round, before Edwards broke his grip, and charged forward with a combination to end the round.
Just 20 seconds into Round 5, Edwards landed a body kick, followed by an accidental eye poke. Moments later, Edwards committed another inadvertent foul by landing a low blow. The action resumed as both fighters traded. Edwards continued to attack the body. Eblen shot for a takedown, but was stuffed.
A tired Eblen drove Edwards against the cage with about a minute left in the fight. Edwards broke free as his corner urged him to press forward. This was easily Edwards’ best round, but his high output wasn’t enough to take out Eblen.
https://twitter.com/PFLMMA/status/1847760493038940205
All three judges had it 48-47 for Eblen, who has now defeated Edwards twice in title fights.
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Up-to-the-minute results of PFL: Battle of the Giants include:
- Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – for Bellator middleweight title
- Paul Hughes def. A.J. McKee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:01
- Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:51
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.