4 days ago
Johnny Eblen happy with PFL but left wanting more: 'Money can only do so much'
Many of the big names PFL acquired through its Bellator purchase late last year are now gone from the promotion. However, Johnny Eblen – the last Bellator middleweight champion – remains, perhaps the biggest name remaining from the Bellator crop.
Eblen (16-0) is set to return to the PFL smart cage, inaugurating the promotion's PFL Africa wing – which is scheduled for July 26 at GrandWest Arena in Cape Town. He takes on Costello van Steenis (16-3) in his first PFL middleweight title defense. Considered one of the best fighters outside the UFC today, many have wondered about Eblen's contractual situation with PFL and whether or not he'll be the next man to leave for the UFC.
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Speaking to MMA Junkie Radio, Eblen pulled back the curtain on his situation, going into detail of where he stands.
"I have three fights left on the contract, this is one of three, the one I'm fighting at in South Africa," Eblen explained. "That's kind of where I'm at. It's my Bellator contract. It's not a PFL contract. I think they have matching rights for a year after. That's pretty much all I know about the contract they acquired. That's it. Either I fight it out, which I really doubt I'm going to get three fights by March 2026, or it expires, and technically I'd be able to see what's out there."
Unlike Patricio Freire and Patchy Mix, Bellator champions who were released from their PFL deals after airing their grievances publicly, Eblen is happy with how he's treated by the promotion. He's happy with his compensation and is getting fights.
However, he can't help but want to test himself against the big middleweights over in the UFC so he can prove to the world he's indeed the best at 185 pounds.
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"I think it's better to have those conversations in private and see where that gets you before taking it to Twitter or X or Instagram," Eblen said. "But they've been feeding me well. I've been happy there. I'm not upset. The only thing that kind of frustrates me is that I'm only able to fight certain people, and I can't really extend outside of it and the odds of them bringing in people that make sense for me to fight to really raise the status of my stock, it doesn't look super probable. So, you know, that's kind of where I'm at with my relationship with PFL.
"I really hope they do well because I think it's important for promotions outside the UFC to give opportunities to fighters. They're a great company, they've treated me well, they treat a lot of people well. A lot of people making a lot of money through PFL, they're great. But there comes a point in time, money can only do so much. I want to find out. I want to fight the DDPs and the Khamzat Chimaevs, and they're not in PFL."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Johnny Eblen happy with PFL but unsatisfied in one respect
