CAREER NOTES

Johnny "Pressure" Eblen is the former Bellator Middleweight World Champion and the PFL's top-ranked middleweight contender. The American Top Team standout fights out of Coconut Creek, Florida by way of Kansas City, Missouri, where he wrestled before turning to mixed martial arts. Eblen wrestled at the University of Missouri, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and building the grappling foundation that would become the calling card of his MMA career. Eblen turned professional in 2017 and signed with Bellator in 2019, joining American Top Team in Coconut Creek and training under head coach Mike Brown alongside a stable that has produced multiple world champions. His career has been defined by relentless pressure, conditioning, and breaking down his opponents.

Eblen captured the Bellator Middleweight World Championship by beating Gegard Mousasi via unanimous decision at Bellator 282 in June 2022, beating one of the most accomplished middleweights in the sport to take the belt. He defended the title three times, stopping Anatoly Tokov at Bellator 290 in February 2023, finishing Fabian Edwards at Bellator 299 in September 2023, and beating Edwards again in a unanimous decision at the Battle of the Giants card in Riyadh on October 2024. In between those defenses he faced off against Impa Kasanganay at PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions event in February 2024, taking the split decision.


Eblen built his career on wrestling, ground control, and the grinding pressure that defined his Bellator title reign. He held the Bellator middleweight belt for more than two years and one of the longest unbroken reigns in the history of the 185-pound division. His unbeaten streak ended in July 2025 at PFL Champions Series 2 in Cape Town, where he dropped the inaugural PFL Middleweight World Championship fight to Costello van Steenis by fifth-round submission in the final seconds of the fight. Eblen returned to the win column in March 2026 at PFL Pittsburgh with a first-round submission over UFC veteran Bryan Battle in the main event, earning his way back into championship contention.