Tag: Johnny Eblen

Gilbert Burns Names Three Bellator Fighters Who Can Give UFC Champs A Run For Their Money

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns is looking forward to the UFC signing three Bellator fighters to its roster. The Brazilian believes these fighters not only boast considerable star power, but also have the potential to defeat many top contenders and even the champions of their respective divisions. Burns is currently on a three-fight losing skid […]

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns is looking forward to the UFC signing three Bellator fighters to its roster. The Brazilian believes these fighters not only boast considerable star power, but also have the potential to defeat many top contenders and even the champions of their respective divisions.

Burns is currently on a three-fight losing skid and he’ll return at UFC 314 in Miami, Florida, to face undefeated prospect Michael Morales on April 12, 2025. The former UFC title challenger is on the longest losing streak of his career, making this matchup really important for his title aspirations and future in the promotion.

As of now, “Durinho” is ranked 8th in the division and he definitely can’t afford losing to the no. 12 ranked prospect in Morales.

In a recent episode of Show Me The Money, Burns appeared alongside popular UFC lightweight Renato Moicano to discuss UFC 312 and all things MMA. While talking about potential signings for the UFC, Burns named three fighters who are yet to fight for the promotion but have all the tools to make it big there.

“That’s one guy that I really want to see in the UFC is freaking Patchy Mix. That guy is so good, so good, and I hope they release him because they don’t give him a fight. It’s two guys that I think—so many guys from Bellator, but I’ll say my three favorite guys to be in the UFC now from Bellator is Johnny Eblen. That’s the number one. That guy, he could go head-to-head with Dricus Du Plessis.”

He further added:

“That’s one thing, I think he’s a top five for sure. I don’t know if he is gonna beat DDP. I think he can, I think he can, but we got to see, you know? That’s one thing. So, Johnny Eblen should be in the UFC. Patchy Mix, 100%, should be in the UFC. And I think Patricio Pitbull, you know, he can—I don’t know if he’s going to make that run now, but yeah, I wanna see Pitbull in the UFC. Those are my three guys outside of the UFC with the whole Bellator-PFL history. Those three guys I want to see so much in the UFC right now, especially Patchy Mix and Johnny Eblen. Those guys are in their prime and I think it’ll be a couple of great fights.”

While Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is 37 and arguably in the latter half of his career, both Patchy Mix (31) and Johnny Eblen (33) are very well in their physical primes. Mix boasts an impressive 20-1 record as a bantamweight and Eblen is an undefeated middleweight. This explains why Burns, alongside many in the MMA community, is excited to see how these fighters perform in the UFC.

Considering that the PFL brand is struggling amidst its acquisition of Bellator, many of its fighters want to be relieved of their contracts. It is undoubtedly a good time for the UFC to sign these stars and give its champions a run for their money. As for fans, they simply want to see the best fight the best, regardless of promotions.

Sean Strickland Asks PFL To Release Undefeated Champion For UFC Move

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is pushing for one of his top teammates to be competing under the same banner as him soon enough. Strickland is currently gearing up for his first assignment of the new year — a chance at redemption opposite current 185-pound kingpin Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of […]

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is pushing for one of his top teammates to be competing under the same banner as him soon enough.

Strickland is currently gearing up for his first assignment of the new year — a chance at redemption opposite current 185-pound kingpin Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 312 on Feb. 8.

In the lead-up to his rematch with the South African in Sydney, Australia, Strickland hasn’t been short on top-tier training partners over at Xtreme Couture. And one of his most prominent teammates is Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen.

Eblen is 16-0 as a professional and has held Bellator gold since a dominant decision victory to dethrone Gegard Mousasi in 2022. He’s since defended the title three times, twice against Fabian Edwards, and defeated Impa Kasanganay to win a “PFL vs. Bellator Champion of Champions” Super Belt.

The 33-year-old’s future is somewhat uncertain after the PFL announced the end of the Bellator brand. While the promotion will no doubt be keen to have Eblen front and center as it enters a new era, Strickland hopes his teammate’s future lies in the Octagon.

He showed as much in a recent post on his Instagram Stories, which saw him ask the PFL to release “Johnny Pressure” in order to facilitate a move to the UFC.

Sean Strickland & Johnny Eblen

The PFL has been dealing with many unhappy Bellator titleholders in recent times, with both Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix publicly requesting their releases after not receiving their desired level of activity in 2024.

Eblen, meanwhile, has remained relatively tight-lipped about his feelings toward the PFL — though he did express some confusion over his status as a Bellator champ following the elimination of the brand this year.

Bellator Champion On Being Blindsided By PFL Scrapping The Brand: ‘Still Haven’t Heard A Thing’

It isn’t currently known what will happen to the current Bellator champions after Ariel Helwani stated that the promotion is “dead” from here on out. The Bellator Champions Series, which was established by the PFL in 2024, suffered from some major issues which as a result, has led some of the top fighters on the […]

It isn’t currently known what will happen to the current Bellator champions after Ariel Helwani stated that the promotion is “dead” from here on out. The Bellator Champions Series, which was established by the PFL in 2024, suffered from some major issues which as a result, has led some of the top fighters on the roster voicing their criticisms of the way that they have been treated since their contracts were acquired by the PFL in 2023.

These events are set to be replaced by the PFL Champions Series which will introduce new PFL titles instead of having the belts up for grabs in the regular season format as has been the case in previous years. It now appears that the final fight that still has the Bellator name attached to it will be on January 25 where Usman Nurmagomedov defends the Bellator lightweight title against Paul Hughes in Dubai.

One of the current champions of the promotion that is set to be fazed out of the PFL brand spoke out on social media following this news. Corey Anderson claimed that rather than being contacted by someone from the PFL, he found out that the brand which he is the light heavyweight champion of will cease to exist via his wife.

“Imagine being the champion of an organization chilling on the couch and your wife walks in and tells you “did you see this? Bellator is dead now?”… and all you can do is shrug your shoulders in confusion…. CUZ you still haven’t heard a thing. Lol Yeaaaah, that was me.”

Anderson has been particularly vocal in recent times due to the booking and subsequent cancelation of his matchup with Vadim Nemkov which was booked for the first “Road to Dubai” event on January 25. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen also took to social media to raise the question of what this news means for his current status.

Undefeated Bellator Champion Calls Jake Paul Out For MMA Fight With ‘Modified Rules’

It isn’t yet known who Jake Paul will face in his combat sports return following his huge contest with Mike Tyson last month. Given that he’s coming off of a record breaking event, it appears that all bets are off for “The Problem Child” in terms of the opponents that he is capable of drawing […]

It isn’t yet known who Jake Paul will face in his combat sports return following his huge contest with Mike Tyson last month. Given that he’s coming off of a record breaking event, it appears that all bets are off for “The Problem Child” in terms of the opponents that he is capable of drawing in.

Though he has signed to the PFL, there hasn’t been any news in some time regarding Paul’s MMA debut but there has been one name that has been mentioned time and time again. In August last year, he defeated Nate Diaz in a boxing match and has since been trying to get the former UFC fighter to face him in a rematch that would take place in MMA.

Diaz hasn’t showed any interest in doing that because he would prefer to do it in boxing and he doesn’t want to fight in the PFL after being a big part of the UFC for so long. Paul once again called Diaz out at a recent press conference.

“It’s funny that Nate Diaz is actually scared to fight me in MMA, actually. The biggest payday of his life would be me and him in MMA. Yeah, so I’m ready.”

Underneath the clip posted by MMA Fighting on Instagram, one of the top names on the PFL roster called for a modified rules fight with Paul seeing that he can’t get Diaz to step in there with him. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen has won back-to-back fights this year, improving his overall record to 16-0.

In October, he defeated Fabian Edwards for a second time at Battle of the Giants to successfully defend the 185-pound title for a third time. As seen in this rematch, Eblen’s greatest strength is his wrestling but clearly he would be open to meeting Paul in the middle in terms of the ruleset if that’s something he would be interested in.

Champion Johnny Eblen Calls Out Jake Paul for MMA Fight Under Modified Rules

Johnny Eblen vs. Jake PaulJohnny Eblen, Bellator’s undefeated Middleweight Champion, is targeting none other than Jake Paul. In a bold statement on social…

Johnny Eblen vs. Jake Paul

Johnny Eblen, Bellator’s undefeated Middleweight Champion, is targeting none other than Jake Paul. In a bold statement on social media, Eblen directly challenged ‘The Problem Child’ Paul, the popular social media star and boxer.

Johnny Eblen vs. Jake Paul

In a comment directed at Jake Paul, Johnny Eblen said:

“@jakepaul fight me in MMA with modified rules. We both signed to the @pflmma, why not. Let’s run it.”

johnny eblen vs Jake Paul

The challenge carries weight, as both athletes are currently under contract with the PFL. While Eblen’s MMA credentials are unquestionable, boasting a perfect 16-0 record and a dominant wrestling background, Paul has primarily made waves in boxing. However, Paul’s involvement with PFL suggests he’s open to competing in mixed martial arts.

Johnny Eblen has cemented his status as one of the world’s top middleweights, thanks to his dominant title reign in Bellator. Known for his aggressive and technical style, he has successfully defended his title multiple times since capturing it in 2022.

Jake Paul, 27, has carved a unique path in combat sports. After achieving fame as a social media influencer, he transitioned to professional boxing, amassing an 11-1 record. His fights often spark controversy but draw massive attention, with his latest victory over Mike Tyson in November 2024 generating the largest boxing gate in U.S. history outside Las Vegas.

A potential Eblen-Paul fight would bring together two figures in MMA and boxing. While Eblen has proven himself in the cage, Paul’s willingness to explore MMA, especially under modified rules, could bring even more intrigue to the matchup.

Whether this challenge materializes into an actual bout remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Johnny Eblen isn’t afraid to mix it up. Now, the ball is in Jake Paul’s court.

Conor McGregor Sparks Social Media War with World Champion: “Holding on bum b**ch nobody”

Conor McGregor Sparks Social Media War with World Champion: "Holding on bum b**ch nobody"Conor McGregor may not be doing much fighting inside the cage these days, but he’ll throw some verbal jabs…

Conor McGregor Sparks Social Media War with World Champion: "Holding on bum b**ch nobody"

Conor McGregor may not be doing much fighting inside the cage these days, but he’ll throw some verbal jabs on social media.

‘Mystic Mac’ did exactly that last weekend following Johnny Elblen’s successful defense of the Bellator middleweight title at the PFL’s ‘Battle of the Giants’ pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. Eblen secured a win over Fabian Edwards in one of the evening’s more anticipated bouts. Unfortunately, the fight failed to live up to any kind of hype as Eblen leaned heavily on his wrestling and grinded out a fairly uneventful unanimous decision.

Conor McGregor

McGregor was immediately critical of the performance which caught the attention of Eblen.

“Conor McGregor went from ‘The face of the fight game’ to ‘The disgrace of the fight game.’ He embodies everything I don’t want to be as a man or as a human. What an embarrassment,” Eblen wrote on X in response to the Irishman’s criticism.

Unsurprisingly, McGregor snapped back telling Eblen that his fight with Edwards was “absolute poo.”

Conor McGregor

“Bro watching your downfall has been poo,” Eblen wrote in another message to McGregor. “You give me second hand embarrassment. You suck the life out of any inspiration you’ve sprung. Money and fame is not what it’s cut out to be eh?”

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor Tells Johnny Eblen to ‘Suck My balls’

McGregor offered up one more response to Eblen in an attempt to end their back-and-forth.

“Suck my balls thru my drawers bro you are a holding on bum b*tch nobody,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted post. “Smell ya later.”

Of course, that didn’t stop Eblen from trying to get the last word in.

“Oh no, not the smell ya later,” Eblen replied. “Struck a nerve did I? You TRT, HGH sausage lookin’ ass.”

Conor McGregor

Johnny Eblen kept his undefeated record intact with the win over Edwards, moving to 16-0 in his mixed martial arts career.