Johnny Eblen: "I'm Clearly the Guy to Fight for the [PFL] Title Next"

Following his decisive victory over Bryan Battle, Johnny Eblen is confident he is the undisputed next contender for the PFL middleweight championship. His last-minute loss to the reigning PFL 185-pound titleholder, Costello Van Steenis, was considered one of the biggest upsets of 2025. Many view a rematch as highly intriguing, especially given Eblen's dominant performance for the majority of their initial bout.

At a recent PFL event, not only did Eblen stop Bryan Battle with a first-round submission, but Impa Kasanganay also defeated Dalton Rosta in a fight that could have positioned another middleweight title challenger. When asked why he should be the next person to challenge Van Steenis for the crown, particularly after Van Steenis' emphatic title defense against Fabian Edwards, Eblen articulated his case:

"I think just in general I’ve beaten the challenger twice. I was beating the current champ the whole fight and lost in the last few seconds. Dalton [Rosta] and Impa [Kasanganay] have both lost to a guy I’ve beat twice. I think I’m clearly the guy to fight for the title next… I think I’m well deserved of a title shot after this."

Johnny Eblen Seeks Redemption, Reclaiming Gold, and Multiple Title Defenses

While Johnny Eblen seemed to be simply recounting the full story of his first fight with Costello Van Steenis, the former Bellator MMA champion had previously mentioned sustaining an injury during that training camp. He suggested that perhaps withdrawing from the fight before that PFL Africa 1 defeat might have been an option.

When questioned if a rematch with Van Steenis would provide him with a sense of closure, particularly if a fully prepared and optimized Johnny Eblen were to compete in such a sequel scenario for the belt, Eblen stated:

"Yeah, and I chose to fight, so no excuses. It is; like I’ve had previous camps where I’ve been injured and I came out and obviously I won. Things aren’t perfect all the time, but I think it was just like a multiplier of things. I was going to South Africa. My whole corner couldn’t go because they had to go corner Dustin Poirier the same weekend. Then also I had an injury in camp, and I think it was just like a lot to handle."

"Yeah, I think getting a rematch with a full camp, hopefully not so many things all at once, and being able to get my revenge again. Honestly, at the end of the day, regardless of who has the title, that’s really the end goal is to reclaim that title and defend it as many times as I can."