Johnny Eblen is confident he’ll get his hand raised against Impa Kasanganay, because he thinks capable of beating tougher competition
The Bellator middleweight champion is not trying to disrespect Kasanganay (15-3), who he fights at the PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24, but he strongly thinks he’s faced higher level fighters in the past and has maintained his undefeated record.
“I think I’ve encountered everything that Impa is going to be able to throw at me,” Eblen told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s a durable guy who likes to box and move forward, and he’s an athlete, he’s well put together. That’s nothing that I haven’t run into before.
“I actually feel like I’ve fought tougher opponents, (and) that’s not to say that I’m looking down on him, or I think I’m just going to walk through this guy. He’s a tough fight and I treat every fight the same – like it’s the best guy I’ve ever fought. So when I go in there, I’m going to make him pay for signing the dotted line. I’m just a different animal.”
Eblen (14-0) has yet to taste defeat in his professional MMA career, and has faced respectable names such as Gegard Mousasi, Fabian Edwards and Anatoly Tokov.
The American Top Team product not only sees himself defeating Kasanganay, but doing it in dominant fashion, too.
“I could foresee a (finish) or where it’s so one-sided, like it’s no question,” Eblen said. “That’s usually how my fights go. Even when the cards are kind of close, I always tend to out strike guys because of my wrestling, the way I mix things up, my footwork, and my distance. I don’t think it’s going to go to the judges, but if it does, it’s going to be one-sided.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.