Bellator MMA middleweight champion, Johnny Eblen has been touted as arguably the best fighter at the weight class on the planet amid his roughshod run through the ranks under the scrutiny of Scott Coker, and now the American Top Team staple has claimed he would “destroy” his UFC champion counterpart, Israel Adesanya.
Boasting an undefeated 13-0 professional record, Eblen managed to clinch the undisputed middleweight champion from former UFC top-contender, Gegard Mousasi back in June of last year in the main event of Bellator 282, landing a one-sided unanimous decision victory.
Successfully defending the crown in the main event of Bellator 290 back in February in Inglewood, California, Eblen landed another shutout decision success, this time against Anatoly Tokov.
Johnny Eblen believes he matches up perfectly with UFC kingpin, Israel Adesanya
And with one eye firmly placed on this weekend’s middleweight clash between the aforenoted, Mousasi and Fabian Edwards – the younger brother of current undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, Johnny Eblen claimed if he was pitted with City Kickboxing staple, Adesanya, he would comfortably “destroy” the Nigerian-Kiwi.
“I think I destroy ‘Stylebender’ (Israel Adesanya),” Johnny Eblen told Peter Carroll during a recent episode of The Craic. “It’s just a bad matchup for him, I just mix things up too well. I wrestle, strike and he really exposed himself when he fought (Alex) Pereira, how bad his grappling was. So, I just think I’m a terrible matchup for him.” (Transcribed by MMA News)
For Adesanya, the Eugene Bareman product managed to reclaim the middleweight crown at UFC 287 back in April against four-time combat sports rival, Alex Pereira, stopping the Brazilian with a devastating second round KO in their Miami, Florida main event.
Yet to be booked for his impending Octagon return, UFC president, Dana White has earmarked Adesanya for a Sydney, Australia headlining return for the promotion before the end of this year, in a pay-per-view main event against either former champion, Robert Whittaker in a trilogy bout, or emerging South African challenger, Dricus du Plessis.
