"Sometimes life throws you a curveball" - Undefeated Johnny Eblen embraces "learning curve" after close fight against PFL champ

Johnny Eblen remained undefeated as he defeated Impa Kasanganay via split decision at PFL vs. Bellator: Champs this weekend. 'Pressure', who had the closest bout of his mixed martial arts career and was nearly finished in the second round, embraced the performance, labeling it as a part of the process.

In a post shared to X early Sunday morning, the Bellator middleweight champion stated:

"Every great fighter I have studied has had a close fight where they looked off. Last night was one of those nights for me.. What I’ve learned is that It’s apart of the process, it’s apart of learning and getting better, sometimes life knocks you on your ass and throws you a curveball. It’s all about how you react in that moment. You either find a way to overcome it or you quit. I’ll die trying to overcome it every time. No quit in me 🫡"

Check out Johnny Eblen's tweet on his performance at PFL vs. Bellator: Champs below:

Despite struggling during the bout, Eblen was able to bounce back and pick up the victory, improving to a perfect 15-0 during his mixed martial arts career. Kasanganay fell to 15-4, with the loss snapping a six-fight win streak that spanned nearly two years.

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Johnny Eblen claims he is a 'step above' UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis

While Johnny Eblen is unlikely to join the UFC, he believes that he is a step above middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the Bellator middleweight champion stated:

"I think I match up with him really, really well. I think I'm a better striker, technically. I have better boxing than him, I'm cleaner with my defense, cleaner with my strikes. I'm technically a better wrestler. I've wrestled since the age of four. He's kind of like a big, athletic guy that's learned how to grapple, learned how to wrestle. I've been doing it since I was a young kid."

He continued:

"I know how to flow with guys like Bo Nickal. Like, I'm a college wrestler, but I can strike and I can grapple so I have the full package, bro, and I feel like he does, too, but I'm just a step above him. A step above him and I'm faster for sure. He might be a big, strong dude, but I'm faster and I have better cardio and I'm better technically than him, in every facet."

Check out Johnny Eblen's comments on Dricus du Plessis below:

While Eblen believes that he would be able to defeat du Plessis, a bout is unlikely to materialize unless he joins the UFC. Despite this, several of his teammates at the American Top Team who compete in mixed martial arts' biggest promotion have claimed that 'Pressure' could capture UFC gold.