Tag: Johnny Eblen

Johnny Eblen On Bellator 282 Title Shot: “Higher Stakes, Same Sh*t”

Bellator middleweight contender Johnny Eblen is not feeling any added pressure ahead of his title challenge this Friday. In the main event of Bellator 282, Eblen will look to dethrone one of the world’s top middleweights, Gegard Mousasi. The former UFC star is in the midst of his second reign in the Bellator cage and…

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Bellator middleweight contender Johnny Eblen is not feeling any added pressure ahead of his title challenge this Friday.

In the main event of Bellator 282, Eblen will look to dethrone one of the world’s top middleweights, Gegard Mousasi. The former UFC star is in the midst of his second reign in the Bellator cage and has already defended the belt twice since capturing the vacant 185-pound belt with a victory over Douglas Lima in 2020.

Having added the first blemish to Austin Vanderford’s record earlier this year, Mousasi will look to accomplish a similar feat when he shares the cage with Eblen at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena tomorrow night.

Like Vanderford, Eblen will enter his championship opportunity with a perfect 11-0 professional résumé. But while the pressure perhaps got too much for “The Gentleman,” who was finished inside one round, Eblen isn’t concerned about replicating that.

During a pre-fight interaction with the media, Eblen rejected the narrative that his upcoming collision with Mousasi feels any different to his previous fights, suggesting that the title fight is a natural progression for his career.

“I get a lot of questions like, ‘Hey, does it feel too much,’ Like, nah, it’s just higher stakes, same sh*t… It feels like the right step, it feels like nothing has really changed too much,” said Eblen. “If anything, I’m just fighting a little bit later, fighting a few more rounds, and fighting a better guy. That’s normal when you move up.”

Eblen: Mousasi Will Be Facing A “Different Animal”

With that, Eblen is incredibly confident that he can upset the odds on Friday and hand Mousasi his eight career loss in what will be his 59th appearance.

After admitting it’ll feel good to showcase his talents on the main-event stage and silence his detractors, “The Human Cheat Code” assured the champ that he’ll be sharing the cage with a “different animal” come fight night.

“It’s gonna put my name on the map, so it’s kinda nice. I get to shut some haters up… Solidify my name,” said Eblen. “People are gonna be like, ‘Damn, Johnny’s legit.’ … This my craft, and I’m putting my craft on this stage for everybody to see… Showcasing my craft on such a high-level guy, and executing things, it’s gonna feel good for me to do.

“I have a lot of tools on my tool belt, and I can’t wait to utilize all these tools when I go out there,” Eblen continued. “It’s gonna be a different fight stylistically (to Mousasi vs. Vanderford)… I’m a different animal.”

Do you think Johnny Eblen has what it takes to dethrone Gegard Mousasi?

Continue Reading Johnny Eblen On Bellator 282 Title Shot: “Higher Stakes, Same Sh*t” at MMA News.

EXCLUSIVE | ATT Fighter Johnny Eblen Talks Masvidal/Covington Beef

Bellator middleweight and American Top Team fighter Johnny Eblen gave MMA News the inside scoop regarding Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. Eblen is set to face former Bellator title challenger John Salter at Bellator 276 next weekend. He’s spent plenty of time around Covington and Masvidal at ATT and knows their story from the inside…

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Bellator middleweight and American Top Team fighter Johnny Eblen gave MMA News the inside scoop regarding Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington.

Eblen is set to face former Bellator title challenger John Salter at Bellator 276 next weekend. He’s spent plenty of time around Covington and Masvidal at ATT and knows their story from the inside out.

Masvidal and Covington will square off in the UFC 272 headliner this weekend. It is one of the most highly-anticipated fights in recent memory and one of the biggest non-title grudge matches in UFC history.

Eblen was a teammate of Covington before Covington’s split from the gym. He continues to work with Masvidal at ATT as one of his main sparring partners.

During an exclusive interview with MMA News, Eblen gave his thoughts on the matchup between Covington and Masvidal.

“I think Jorge is going to put it on the motherf**ker, to be honest,” Eblen said of Masvidal. “I sparred a lot with that dude this camp, he’s on point and I can’t wait to watch him break his jaw. And I can’t wait to watch it on national television.”

Johnny Eblen Explains The Difference Between Jorge Masvidal And Colby Covington

Eblen went on to detail his personal experience with Covington at ATT and why he’s glad he’s still a teammate of Masvidal.

“When I kinda came into the gym, he was just transitioning into that whole gimmick thing, and he was kinda doing it at the gym as well,” Eblen said of Covington. “I never really got close to him, never really trained with him too much. There were some instances where I trained with him, but outside of that didn’t get close to him. I don’t know, he just seems like a clown to me now. I’m definitely on the side of Jorge. Jorge is my homie and I’ve been training with that dude since I’ve been at the gym and I kind of gravitated closer to him instead of Colby, and I’m glad I did.”

While Covington and Masvidal have had their fair share of verbal banter leading up to the fight, Eblen says their intentions are completely different.

“He’s more respectful to people,” Eblen said of Masvidal. “He doesn’t talk s**t to talk s**t. When he’s talking s**t, there’s a reason for it. You’re on his bad side. Colby’s talking s**t to get likes and to be relevant. He was calling out teammates and s**t, which is a big no-no. Causing tension at the gym that wasn’t supposed to be there.”

The storyline of Masvidal and Covington’s friendship and time together at ATT has been well documented. Eblen and the rest of ATT don’t plan on burying the hatchet with Covington anytime soon, regardless of what happens at UFC 272.

What are your thoughts on our Johnny Eblen interview about Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington?

Continue Reading EXCLUSIVE | ATT Fighter Johnny Eblen Talks Masvidal/Covington Beef at MMA News.

Johnny Eblen Is Ready For ’15 Minutes Of Violence’ At Bellator 272

Johnny EblenBellator No.5 ranked middleweight Johnny Eblen is set for “15 minutes of violence’” as he takes on promotional newcomer Colin Huckbody at Bellator 272. This bout will mark Eblen’s third fight in just seven months, in an attempt to keep his undefeated record intact. Across from the former University of Missouri wrestler will stand Huckbody, […]

Johnny Eblen

Bellator No.5 ranked middleweight Johnny Eblen is set for “15 minutes of violence’” as he takes on promotional newcomer Colin Huckbody at Bellator 272.

This bout will mark Eblen’s third fight in just seven months, in an attempt to keep his undefeated record intact. Across from the former University of Missouri wrestler will stand Huckbody, who will aim to prove the bookmakers wrong in his Bellator debut.

Huckbody will enter the cage with a 10-3 record, with an impressive six submissions to his name. ‘Young Huck’ had also previously competed on the Dana White Contender Series, a bout in which he would win and earn a contract. Eventually, Huckbody would part ways with the promotion before his first fight, explaining that he did not feel ready for the level of competition. Huckbody is currently highly ranked on the regional scene, with Tapology ranking him as the No.1 active middleweight in America. 

In an interview with LowKickMMA, Eblen had this to say about his opponent “He’s got decent striking from what I have seen via videos also he has a good grappling background, has a lot of submissions, likes to fight, gets in there. He’s got a good amount of fights, what’s he 10-3 so somewhat of a vet. I think I’m gonna put it on him and have fun with it.”

Although Eblen is coming as high as a +1000 favorite, he didn’t guarantee a finish.

“If I don’t come in prepared and all guns blazing he could be a big problem but I don’t think that will be the case.

“There will be 15 minutes of just pure violence, if it gets done before that, great, if not its gonna be a lot of fun.”

Johnny Eblen Will Seek A Bigger Name After

Although Eblen is only nine fights into his MMA career his talent and ambition are evident. ‘Diamond Hands’ is happy to just be in the cage but he is looking for more.

“It is it what it is um I’m not a great matchup for people,” said Eblen, “I more asked Bellator to set this up I was supposed to fight ranked opponents previously but they ended up falling through.

“I like to stay active, I really enjoy getting in that cage and putting on a performance for the fans so this is was the best thing they could set up and it’s an unranked guy, it’s all good I’m not really too worried about that.

“After this, I’m gonna definitely need a fight that makes more sense so yeah the thing is I could not sit out this one, I didn’t have to fight this one. I could of waited till next year to fight a ranked guy so this is just more of a fill-in fight for me not saying I’m not taking it serious by any means, I’m taking it highly serious. The dude signed a contract saying he can put me away, well maybe he doesn’t think but, maybe he thinks he can win the fight and I take that as disrespect so I’m gonna put it on this motherfucker.”

Eblen still has to get through Huckbody but is sure of what he wants next.

“John Salter. Because I’ve already signed a contract to fight him. I was supposed to fight him in November at the Hard Rock, down here in Florida but he ended up having an injury and having to pull out so that’s something I’ve already signed and sealed and ready to do.”

What do you think? Will Johnny Eblen get the job done this Friday?