Johnny Eblen is not pleased that the man who took his undefeated status in dramatic fashion is attempting to dismiss a rematch.
Eblen was a dominant force at 185 pounds under the now-defunct Bellator banner, defeating the likes of Gegard Mousasi and Fabian Edwards en route to cementing his place on the throne.
The 33-year-old initially continued his winning ways after the PFL acquired Bellator, getting past Impa Kasanganay and Edwards in a rematch. But when he was presented with the chance to add the promotion’s inaugural middleweight championship to his résumé, ‘Johnny Pressure’ fell short.
Eblen was the victim of a comeback for the ages at the PFL Africa event on July 19, as Costello van Steenis came from behind to choke him unconscious in the dying seconds. The newly crowned champ has since rejected calls for a rematch, which has infuriated Eblen.
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Johnny Eblen calls Costello van Steenis out for his stance on a rematch
After Van Steenis shocked the world against Eblen, the Spanish fighter dismissed talk of an immediate second dance with the American. Instead, he has pointed to the upcoming tournament final between Fabian Edwards and Dalton Rosta as the bout that will determine his first challenger.
That stance has angered Eblen, who took aim at Van Steenis during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. The American Top Team standout branded his rival’s victory in Cape Town a “fluke” that he knows cannot be repeated.
“If you’re a real man, bro, you’ll run it back with me,” Eblen said (h/t Uncrowned). “You watched that fight, and you watched those first three rounds — I dominated you.
“It’s just frustrating, because as a man, I wouldn’t want to win that way. I would want to win by completely dominating you, not having a fluke victory like he did.
“It doesn’t seem like he wants the rematch. And I watched the fight back, and I can see why,” Eblen continued. “Dude, if I just navigate that fight a little smarter, and I fight with a higher fight IQ and I take my time, I don’t think he wins a round and he’s going to lose that fight. So of course he wants to fight a guy he’s already beaten, Fabian, or fight a guy he thinks he can beat in Dalton.
“He knows that it was kind of a fluke win, in a sense. I want that one back, and he wants to go off into the sunset with that belt and never have to fight me again.”
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Dustin Poirier backed Johnny Eblen to ‘be on top for a long time’ before PFL upset
The result in Cape Town marked a blow to Eblen’s ambitions of proving he’s the best middleweight over the likes of Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
Many of those close to the American have echoed his confident remarks, including in the lead-up to his first career defeat. Eblen notably had strong backing from Dustin Poirier, who’s trained alongside the PFL star at American Top Team.
‘The Diamond’ tipped his stablemate to rule the roost for years to come, something Van Steenis ultimately had something to say about on July 19.
“He is going to be on top for a very long time,” Poirier said in an interview as part of PFL’s fight promotion. “I mean, he’s the best he’s ever been.
“He’s still young getting better every training camp, getting better every fight, and he’s in here every day. First one to show up, last one to leave. This guy’s a real student of the game. I’m excited for the guy.”