Tag: Johnny Eblen

Fabian Edwards hopes Johnny Eblen stays champion: ‘Even a loss confirmed that I can beat that guy’

Fabian Edwards is eager to run things back with Johnny Eblen.

[autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] is eager to run things back with [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag].

Edwards (12-3 MMA, 8-3 BMMA) meets Aaron Jeffery (14-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) March 22 at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast at SSE Arena, in what he projects to be a title eliminator.

Edwards is coming off a knockout loss to middleweight champion Eblen (15-0 MMAA, 10-0 BMMA) this past September at Bellator 299. One judge had him up two rounds, and Edwards thinks he was en route to winning before he got caught in Round 3.

“Even a loss confirmed that I can beat that guy,” Edwards told MMA Junkie Radio. “I gave him a nasty cut. I felt like I was winning that fight. I defended the takedowns, he never landed anything before the fight was ended.

“He never landed anything I thought was too powerful. I’ve been working for the past six months to get back to that title fight and Bellator say I’m one fight away from it now so, I’m excited.”

Eblen squeaked past Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in February. Edwards is not a fan of Eblen as a person – branding him as fake, but is glad to see him remain unbeaten.

“He needs to keep that belt,” Edwards said. “When I’d seen that he won the fight against Impa, I was like, ‘OK, I don’t like the guy, but I’m happy he kept it,’ because I feel like it’s part of my story for him to keep the belt, for me to come back and take it off him.”

After seeing his performance against Kasanganay, Edwards wasn’t impressed at all by Eblen.

“He looked terrible,” Edwards said. “He looked like he hadn’t improved one bit. I know he’s the champ and all of that so you have to give him credit, but people can’t look at me and say skill for skill, he’s the best guy in the fighting world. I feel like he hasn’t improved in the areas he needs to improve on.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 302.

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for February: Middleweight contenders net another bonus

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for February.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

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Nominees

Johnny Eblen def. Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions: Best photos

Check out these photos from Johnny Eblen vs. Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in Saudi Arabia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag]’s split decision victory over Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, which took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions live and official results

Check out the full results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions which takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions took place Saturday and MMA Junkie provided coverage of live and official results throughout the entire card.

The event featured PFL fighters vs. Bellator fighters at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Champions of both promotions clashed in the main and co-main bouts. The main event was a heavyweight bout between PFL’s [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] and Bellator’s [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]. Middleweights battled in the co-feature as PFL’s [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] took on Bellator’s [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag].

The 11-fight event featured several notable names including [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag], [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], and the pro debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag].

Check out the official results, details and highlight clips from each bout below.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions results: Johnny Eblen rallies to win split over Impa Kasanganay

Johnny Eblen was rocked and hurt badly by Impa Kasanganay, but regained momentum to take a split decision at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] kept his undefeated record intact, but it didn’t come without a close call.

On the main card of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, Bellator champ Eblen (15-0) met PFL’s Impa Kasanganay in the co-feature middleweight bout. The fight was filled with back-and-forth action, but after 15 minutes, it was Eblen who got his hand raised over Kasanganay (15-4) with a split decision nod (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

After initial striking exchanges, Eblen went to his wrestling game in an attempt to bring the fight to the mat. Kasanganay kept things standing, however, and the round continued to unfold with calculated striking offerings from both fighters. As the round wore on, Kasanganay’s confidence grew and his striking attacks varied, including a flying knee at the bell.

Eblen came out firing in Round 2 and paid the cost. Kasanganay began to light up Eblen with hard punches, sending the Bellator champ to the canvas. The flurry was on for Kasanganay, but Eblen was able to grab a hold of a leg to slow the moment.

Kasanganay broke free for a moment to unload another combination, but Eblen got right back in on the hips. Refusing to give up on the takedown, Eblen got Kasanganay down, even taking the back momentarily. Eblen ended the round on top after landing some hard ground and pound.

With just five minutes to go, Eblen continued to build upon his late second-round surge. Forward pressure from Eblen led to winning exchanges on the feet and eventually taking Kasanganay’s back on the mat looking for a rear-naked choke. The finish wouldn’t come, however and the fight would go to the scorecards.

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After receiving the “Super Belt” from Mike Tyson, Eblen admitted during his post-fight interview that he had to dig deep to regain momentum in the fight.

As a result, Eblen remains undefeated in his professional career, while also adding another Bellator victory over PFL on the evening.

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Up-to-the-minute results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Special PFL vs. Bellator: Champions belt designs revealed

The winners of the PFL vs. Bellator champion vs. champion fights will walk home with an extra piece of hardware.

While the PFL and Bellator titles won’t be on the line Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the winner of each champion vs. champion matchup will go home with special hardware.

Monday, the promotion released a first look at the special PFL vs. Bellator: Champions title belts that the winners of the head-to-head champions fights will be awarded with.

Those eligible for this special title belt are the main event and co-main event competitors. The headlining bout features 2023 PFL heavyweight champion [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (12-3) against Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (31-7). The co-feature is a fight between PFL light heavyweight champion [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] (15-3) and Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (14-0).

Check out the title belt revelation in the video below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3ioDO_vkRj/?img_index=1

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 12:30 p.m. ET)

  • Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Johnny Eblen expects dominant win over Impa Kasanganay: ‘I’ve fought tougher opponents’

Johnny Eblen is confident he’ll dominate Impa Kasanganay at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] is confident he’ll get his hand raised against [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag], because he thinks capable of beating tougher competition

The Bellator middleweight champion is not trying to disrespect Kasanganay (15-3), who he fights at the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24, but he strongly thinks he’s faced higher level fighters in the past and has maintained his undefeated record.

“I think I’ve encountered everything that Impa is going to be able to throw at me,” Eblen told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s a durable guy who likes to box and move forward, and he’s an athlete, he’s well put together. That’s nothing that I haven’t run into before.

“I actually feel like I’ve fought tougher opponents, (and) that’s not to say that I’m looking down on him, or I think I’m just going to walk through this guy. He’s a tough fight and I treat every fight the same – like it’s the best guy I’ve ever fought. So when I go in there, I’m going to make him pay for signing the dotted line. I’m just a different animal.”

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Eblen (14-0) has yet to taste defeat in his professional MMA career, and has faced respectable names such as Gegard Mousasi, Fabian Edwards and Anatoly Tokov.

The American Top Team product not only sees himself defeating Kasanganay, but doing it in dominant fashion, too.

“I could foresee a (finish) or where it’s so one-sided, like it’s no question,” Eblen said. “That’s usually how my fights go. Even when the cards are kind of close, I always tend to out strike guys because of my wrestling, the way I mix things up, my footwork, and my distance. I don’t think it’s going to go to the judges, but if it does, it’s going to be one-sided.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Johnny Eblen explains how MMA pivoted him from dark path: ‘I could be dead or in jail or miserable’

Before his MMA coaches entered his life, Bellator champ Johnny Eblen was headed down a bad path.

[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] holds a major promotional title – but that pales in comparison to the life accolades his MMA success has helped him achieve.

To put it frankly, the relationships Eblen (14-0) made early in his mixed martial arts path may have saved his life, the Bellator middleweight champion recently told MMA Junkie Radio.

“I was lost, man,” Eblen said. “I wasn’t focused on the right things. I was looking for short-term pleasures and it as a bad time in my life. It could’ve gone south. I could’ve not found fighting. I could just be miserable right now, bro. I could be dead or in jail or just a miserable human. I’m glad I met Steve Mocco and I’m glad he got me into the gym. I’m so thankful that I met Mike Brown, that I met ‘King Mo’ (Muhammed Lawal). I met Naudi Aguilar through Functional Patterns and that really changed my life a lot.

“There’s a lot of people I met throughout my life post that time period and it really changed me for the better and helped me become the man I am today.”

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That’s why all the theoretical debates of who holds status as the best fighter in the world means little to Eblen, when put in perspective. Eblen thinks other fighters could benefit if they came to the same realization.

“I honestly don’t even think about that sh*t,” Eblen said. “I just think about getting better every day, keeping my health, trying to make the most out of this life when it comes to my relationships and what I do on a day-to-day basis, and just try to become a better person. I think that’s more important than all this f*cking belt sh*t and all the fake hype that really doesn’t matter. I mean, I do this for fun, man. No one is relying on me winning this f*cking fight except for myself, to feed myself and make more money. Other than that, if I f*cking lose, nothing changes in the world.

“I feel like a lot of fighters put a lot of added stress for no reason on something that literally doesn’t really matter. I’m a guy that can see that. I’m like,’Oh, this is just a competition.’ It’s for entertainment. The results really don’t matter. I don’t really put a lot of pressure on myself, man. I just try to become the best fighter that I can. When fight night comes, I just try to put on really good performances because that’s my job – to be an entertainer. That’s what I’m here to do.”

Eblen, 32, returns Feb. 24 against 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay (15-3). The bout takes place as part of the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Video: Which side has the edge in the upcoming PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates if PFL or Bellator has an advantage, and the potential for a complete sweep.

Next month, the best of the best in PFL and Bellator will travel across the globe for a unique event.

On Feb. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event goes down, and it places champs from both promotions against one another. The top four fights on the card will be champion vs. champion bouts, all three rounds, with no title on the line.

This event will give us [autotag]Renan Ferreria[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag], [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and other PFL vs. Bellator matchups.

Should either promotion bring a broom for the clean sweep, or will both sides pick up victories?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” of Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed the matchups with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, and check out this week’s episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Video: PFL vs. Bellator press conference faceoffs

Check out the faceoffs from the first press conference ahead of the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator event in South Florida.

The first PFL vs. Bellator press conference took place Wednesday, and afterward the fighters in attendance came face to face for the first time.

The first PFL vs. Bellator event since the acquisition takes place Feb. 24 at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a main card that streams on ESPN+ and DAZN pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and ESPNews. The entire card pits PFL fighters vs. Bellator fighters and is chalk full of current and former champions from each promotion.

In the main event, reigning PFL heavyweight champ [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] takes on Bellator heavyweight champ [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]. The co-main event pits PFL light heavyweight champ [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] moving back down to middleweight to face Bellator 185-pound champ [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag]. A showdown between current featherweight champions, [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] from the PFL and [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] of Bellator, is also on tap.

In addition to the fights between current champions, a host of matchups between former champs and title challengers are also slated.

You can watch all of the faceoffs from the first PFL vs. Bellator press conference at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla., in the video above.

Below is the complete PFL vs. Bellator lineup:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Jesus Pinedo vs. Patricio Freire
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, ESPNews, 12:30 p.m. ET)

  • Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Chris Morris
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondal Rao
  • Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator.