Daniel Cunningham
Tomorrow night the PFL heads to Pittsburgh with a potential title eliminator in the middleweight division in the main event. Former champion Johnny Eblen (16-1) will look to bounce back after his first career loss as he takes on promotional newcomer Bryan Battle (12-2).
Starting with Eblen, he became the Bellator middleweight champ back in 2022 with a win over Gegard Mousasi. He then defended the title twice before the PFL merger. Last July, he was facing Costello Van Steenis and he was 9 seconds away from a decision win when he was choked out losing the middleweight championship and losing his first fight.
Now he takes on Bryan Battle. The former Ultimate Fighter winner was released by the UFC last August after failing to make weight. He signed with the PFL shortly after and then competed in two Dirty Boxing matchups where he won both fights by first round knockout. This is his first MMA bout since December 2024.
A lot of people got down on Johnny Eblen after his last couple of performances, but I still think he’s one of the better middleweights in the world. Battle has really good striking, but I don’t think he’ll have an answer for the wrestling. I expect a decision win from Eblen here which will set up a rematch with Van Steenis for the PFL middleweight title.
Prediction: Johnny Eblen by Decision
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