Johnny Eblen

American mixed martial arts fighter (born 1991)

Johnny Eblen

Born|  (1991-12-13) December 13, 1991 (age 33)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Other names| Pressure
Height| 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight| 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Division| Middleweight
Reach| 74 in (188 cm)
Style| Wrestling
Fighting out of| Coconut Creek, Florida
Team| American Top Team (2016–present)[1]
Wrestling| NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active| 2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total| 16
Wins| 16
By knockout| 6
By submission| 1
By decision| 9
Losses| 0
Amateur record
Total| 3
Wins| 3
By submission| 1
By decision| 2
Other information
University| University of Missouri
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Johnny Eblen (born December 13, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who last fought in Bellator MMA, where he was the last Middleweight World Champion.

## Background

[edit]

Eblen, born to a Korean mother and American father, was a state wrestling champion while at Park Hill High School in Kansas City. He has an older brother, Tommy, who is also a mixed martial artist.[1] Eblen wrestled collegiately at the University of Missouri, where he became an NCAA qualifier in 2015 and a two-time Academic All-MAC Team member, posting three 20-win campaigns and compiled an 87–24 career record. His time in college was also marked with injuries, as in the summer prior to college, Eblen suffered a fractured fibula and also tore several ligaments in his ankle, forcing him to redshirt his freshman season. In his sophomore season, Eblen suffered extreme dehydration during a 7-mile run ended up in the ICU for three days, before tearing his meniscus in his knee, less than a month later, requiring another surgery. Before his junior year, he suffered a dislocated shoulder which would eventually lead him his season ending before the start of the MAC Tournament after reinjuring it. In his senior season, he cut down to 174, and was a starter on No.1 ranked Tigers, becoming an NCAA qualifier.[2][3][4][5][6]

After graduation from Missouri in 2015, Eblen relocated to Florida to take a non-MMA related job, working full time at a paving company and coaching wrestling on the side. When he met Steve Mocco, a former Olympic wrestler and American Top Team coach, at a wrestling practice, he was invited to visit ATT to check it out.[7][8]

## Mixed martial arts career

[edit]

### Early career

[edit]

Eblen started his professional MMA career under the banner of Shamrock FC, making his debut at Shamrock FC 291, winning the bout against Wayne Collier via TKO in the first round. Eblen would defeat his next two opponents, Raymond Gray and Wayman Carter, via first round stoppages at Shamrock FC 298 and Shamrock FC 308 respectively, before winning what would be his last bout for the promotion at Shamrock FC 310, via a 1-round "Submission from strikes" against Tyler Lee .[9]

### Bellator MMA

[edit]

Eblen made his promotional debut against Chauncey Foxworth on March 22, 2019, at Bellator 218.[10] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[11]

In his sophomore performance against Mauricio Alonso on October 4, 2019, at Bellator 229,[12] he won the bout via unanimous decision.[13]

Eblen faced Taylor Johnson on October 29, 2020, at Bellator 250,[14] winning the bout via unanimous decision.[15]

Picking up his first stoppage victory with the promotion, Eblen knocked out Daniel Madrid in the first round on May 7, 2021, at Bellator 258.[16]

As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Eblen faced Travis Davis on July 16, 2021, at Bellator 262.[17][18] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[19]

In his 6th bout with the promotion, Eblen defeated Collin Huckbody on December 3, 2021, at Bellator 272 via first-round TKO stoppage.[20]

As the first bout his new six-fight contract, Eblen faced John Salter on March 12, 2022, at Bellator 276.[21][22] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[23]

#### Bellator Middleweight champion

[edit]

Eblen faced Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator Middleweight Championship at Bellator 282 on June 24, 2022.[24] He won the bout and the title via a 50-45 unanimous decision on all judges' scorecards.[25] Following this victory, Eblen was ranked as the fourth best middleweight by Fight Matrix and eight by Sherdog.[26][27]

Eblen made his first title defense against Anatoly Tokov on February 4, 2023, at Bellator 290.[28] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[29]

Eblen defended his title against Fabian Edwards on September 23, 2023, at Bellator 299.[30] He won the fight via knockout in the third round.[31]

Eblen faced 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay in a three-round non-title crossover fight, on February 24, 2024, at PFL vs. Bellator.[32] He won the closely contested bout vis split decision.[33][34]

Eblen was scheduled to face Fabian Edwards in a rematch on September 14, 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 5.[35] On September 3, the bout was rescheduled for a later date with no reason given.[36] The bout was rebooked to take place on October 19, 2024, at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants.[37] Eblen won the fight by unanimous decision.[38]

## Championships and accomplishments

[edit]

### Mixed martial arts

[edit]

* Bellator MMA
* Bellator Middleweight World Championship (One time; final)
* Three successful title defences
* PFL vs. Bellator Champions of Champions Super Belt (One time)

## Mixed martial arts record

[edit]

Professional record breakdown  16 matches | 16 wins | 0 losses

|
|

By knockout | 6  | 0
By submission | 1  | 0
By decision | 9  | 0
Res.  | Record  | Opponent  | Method  | Event  | Date  | Round  | Time  | Location  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Win  | 16–0  | Fabian Edwards | Decision (unanimous)  | PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants | October 19, 2024 | 5  | 5:00  | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  | Defended the Bellator Middleweight World Championship.
Win  | 15–0  | Impa Kasanganay | Decision (split)  | PFL vs. Bellator | February 24, 2024 | 3  | 5:00  | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  | For "PFL vs. Bellator Champion of Champions" Super Belt.
Win  | 14–0  | Fabian Edwards | KO (punches)  | Bellator 299 | September 23, 2023 | 3  | 0:21  | Dublin, Ireland  | Defended the Bellator Middleweight World Championship.
Win  | 13–0  | Anatoly Tokov | Decision (unanimous)  | Bellator 290 | February 4, 2023 | 5  | 5:00  | Inglewood, California, United States  | Defended the Bellator Middleweight World Championship.
Win  | 12–0  | Gegard Mousasi | Decision (unanimous)  | Bellator 282 | June 24, 2022 | 5  | 5:00  | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States  | Won the Bellator Middleweight World Championship.
Win  | 11–0  | John Salter | Decision (unanimous)  | Bellator 276 | March 12, 2022 | 3  | 5:00  | St. Louis, Missouri, United States  |
Win  | 10–0  | Collin Huckbody  | TKO (punches)  | Bellator 272 | December 3, 2021 | 1  | 1:11  | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States  |
Win  | 9–0  | Travis Davis  | Decision (unanimous)  | Bellator 262 | July 16, 2021 | 3  | 5:00  | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States  |
Win  | 8–0  | Daniel Madrid  | KO (punches)  | Bellator 258 | May 7, 2021 | 1  | 2:44  | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States  |
Win  | 7–0  | Taylor Johnson  | Decision (unanimous)  | Bellator 250 | October 29, 2020 | 3  | 5:00  | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States  |
Win  | 6–0  | Mauricio Alonso  | Decision (unanimous)  | Bellator 229 | October 4, 2019 | 3  | 5:00  | Temecula, California, United States  |
Win  | 5–0  | Chauncey Foxworth  | Decision (unanimous)  | Bellator 218 | March 22, 2019 | 3  | 5:00  | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States  |
Win  | 4–0  | Tyler Lee  | TKO (submission to punches)  | Shamrock FC 310  | October 13, 2018 | 1  | 2:14  | Kansas City, Missouri, United States  |
Win  | 3–0  | Wayman Carter  | Submission (guillotine choke)  | Shamrock FC 308  | August 18, 2018 | 1  | 1:37  | St. Louis, Missouri, United States  |
Win  | 2–0  | Raymond Gray  | TKO (submission to punches)  | Shamrock FC 298  | November 18, 2017 | 1  | 2:21  | Kansas City, Missouri, United States  |
Win  | 1–0  | Wayne Collier  | TKO (submission to punches)  | Shamrock FC 291  | July 7, 2017 | 1  | 1:01  | Kansas City, Missouri, United States  |

### Amateur mixed martial arts record

[edit]

Amateur record breakdown |

|

3 matches | 3 wins | 0 losses
By submission | 1  | 0
By decision | 2  | 0
Res.  | Record  | Opponent  | Method  | Event  | Date  | Round  | Time  | Location  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Win  | 3–0  | Gustavo Trujillo  | Decision (unanimous)  | XFN 12: Tournament of Titans  | January 7, 2017 | 3  | 3:00  | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States  | Light Heavyweight debut.
Win  | 2–0  | Denzel Freeman  | Decision (unanimous)  | AFC 13  | October 1, 2016 | 3  | 3:00  | New Port Richey, Florida, United States  | Won the AFC 230 lb Championship.
Win  | 1–0  | Tyler Carey  | Submission (rear-naked choke)  | Undisputed Florida Fighting Championship 5  | September 19, 2016 | 1  | 2:00  | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States  | Catchweight (230 lb) bout.

[39]

## See also

[edit]

* List of current Bellator fighters
* List of male mixed martial artists
* List of undefeated mixed martial artists

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Ariel Helwani (June 28, 2022). New Bellator Champ Johnny Eblen Believes He Will Be Best Middleweight In The World - MMA Fighting - via YouTube.
2. ^ "Bellator 218's Johnny Eblen Is Not Your Average Wrestler - FloCombat". www.flocombat.com. March 22, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
3. ^ Ilhyung Lee/MISSOURIAN READER (March 24, 2014). "FROM READERS: What is that on his back?". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
4. ^ "Johnny Eblen - Wrestling". University of Missouri Athletics. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
5. ^ "5 Things You Might Not Know About Johnny Eblen". Sherdog. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
6. ^ Palmer, Tod. "Injuries behind him, Missouri wrestler Johnny Eblen ready to make a splash at national". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
7. ^ "Johnny Eblen: From Mizzou Wrestling to Future MMA Champion". MMA Sucka. May 23, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
8. ^ Geller, Doug (October 8, 2018). "Johnny Eblen looks to take the next step in becoming the next great MMA fighter to come out of the University of Missouri wrestling program". MyMMANews. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
9. ^ "Across The Pond Profile: Bellator MMA fighter Johnny Eblen | MMA UK". July 8, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
10. ^ Tees, David (February 27, 2019). "Report: Johnny Eblen Faces Chauncey Foxworth At Bellator 218". fightful.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
11. ^ "Bellator 218 winner Johnny Eblen ready to work on getting the finish he missed in Oklahoma". MMA Junkie. March 27, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
12. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (September 11, 2019). "Mauricio Alonso returns to Bellator cage 31 months after TKO win over Josh Koscheck". MMA Fighting. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
13. ^ Tucker, Bryan (October 4, 2019). "Bellator 229 Results: Koreshkov vs. Larkin". MMA Fighting. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
14. ^ Kaplan, Amy (October 5, 2020). "Johnny Eblen vs. Taylor Johnson official for Bellator 250 on Oct. 29". fansided.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
15. ^ Tucker, Bryan (October 29, 2020). "Bellator 250 Results: Mousasi vs. Lima". MMA Fighting. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
16. ^ "Bellator 258: Johnny Eblen earns first Bellator finish with KO of Daniel Madrid, remains undefeated". FanSided. May 7, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
17. ^ Hammond, Mick (July 15, 2021). "Johnny Eblen Expects To 'Put It On' Travis Davis At Bellator 262". mmaweekly.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
18. ^ Cageside Press (July 15, 2021). Bellator 262 Media Day: Johnny Eblen hopes for ranked opponent, talks Crypto - via YouTube.
19. ^ "Bellator 262: Johnny Eblen manhandles Travis Davis to remain undefeated (Video)". FanSided. July 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
20. ^ Guillen, Adam Jr. (December 3, 2021). "Highlights! Johnny Eblen stops Collin Huckbody via strikes in 71 seconds at Bellator 272 | Video". MMAmania.com. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
21. ^ Heck, Mike (February 15, 2022). "Cat Zingano vs. Pam Sorenson, John Salter vs. Johnny Eblen among additions to Bellator 276 lineup". MMA Fighting. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
22. ^ Mike Bohn (December 16, 2021). "Johnny Eblen targets John Salter in Dublin after new Bellator deal with championship language". MMAjunkie.com.
23. ^ "Bellator 276 'Borics vs. Burnell' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
24. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (March 29, 2022). "Gegard Mousasi vs. Johnny Eblen set for Bellator 282 main event on June 24". MMA Fighting. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
25. ^ Anderson, Jay (June 24, 2022). "Bellator 282: Johnny Eblen Captures Middleweight Title with Career-Best Performance Against Gegard Mousasi". Cageside Press. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
26. ^ Critchfield, Tristen (July 18, 2022). "Sherdog's Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings". sherdog.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
27. ^ "Divisional Rankings - Middleweight". fightmatrix.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
28. ^ Brett Okamoto (December 27, 2022). "Middleweight Johnny Eblen to defend title at Bellator 290". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
29. ^ Dewar, Val (February 4, 2023). "Bellator 290: Johnny Eblen Out-Grinds Anatoly Tokov to Retain Middleweight Title". Cageside Press. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
30. ^ "Edwards beats Mousasi to set up Bellator title shot". BBC Sport. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
31. ^ Dewar, Val (September 23, 2023). "Bellator 299: Johnny Eblen Defends Middleweight Belt by Knocking Fabian Edwards Out Cold". Cageside Press. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
32. ^ "Bellator MMA vs. PFL supercard: Four champion vs. champion fights set for February in Saudi Arabia". CBS Sports. January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
33. ^ "PFL vs. Bellator: Champions results: Johnny Eblen rallies to win split over Impa Kasanganay". sports.yahoo.com. February 24, 2024.
34. ^ Dewar, Val (February 24, 2024). "PFL vs. Bellator: Johnny Eblen Earns Nod Over Impa Kasanganay in Card's Best Battle". Cageside Press. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
35. ^ "Briton Edwards gets Bellator title fight in London". BBC Sport. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
36. ^ "Bellator Champions Series: London loses Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards title-fight headliner". MMA Junkie. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
37. ^ Adam Guillen (September 17, 2024). "Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2 added to PFL's 'Battle of the Giants' PPV event on Oct. 19". mmamania.com. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
38. ^ Brett Gable (October 19, 2024). "Johnny Eblen Defeats Fabian Edwards A Second Time, Defends Bellator Belt at PFL Battle of the Giants". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
39. ^ "Johnny Eblen". Sherdog. Retrieved December 20, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Professional MMA record for Johnny Eblen from Sherdog
* Johnny Eblen at Bellator

* v
* t
* e

Bellator MMA current champions

Men's|

| Heavyweight|

* Ryan Bader

|

Light heavyweight|

* Vadim Nemkov

Middleweight|

* Johnny Eblen

Welterweight|

* Yaroslav Amosov

Lightweight|

* Usman Nurmagomedov

Featherweight|

* Patrício Pitbull

Bantamweight|

* Sergio Pettis
* Raufeon Stots (interim)

Women's|

| Featherweight|

* Cris Cyborg

|

Flyweight|

* Liz Carmouche

* v
* t
* e

Bellator Middleweight Champions

* Héctor Lombard
* Alexander Shlemenko
* Brandon Halsey
* Rafael Carvalho
* Gegard Mousasi
* Rafael Lovato Jr.
* Gegard Mousasi (2)
* Johnny Eblen (current)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template