Despite the PFL not having a middleweight division at the present time, Johnny Eblen is confident that he has a lot of possible opponents around him. In his recent statement, the Bellator middleweight champion named Derek Brunson, Impa Kasanganay, Aaron Jeffrey, and Jake Paul as four of his current targets.
PFL has recently confirmed the purchase of Bellator. However, there are some concerns about the promotion company not having bantamweight and middleweight divisions that will complement those divisions in Bellator. Despite that, Eblen knows he can make a callout to different fighters within PFL.
“Anybody at this point,” Eblen told The MMA Hour. “I’d fight Derek Brunson, Impa [Kasanganay], I’d go up. Jake Paul, if he wants to fight me, I don’t think he really wants to. Aaron Jeffrey, even though he’s a Bellator guy. Any fight they want to make, I’d be completely down to get after it.”
Aaron Jeffrey is currently ranked at No. 4 in Bellator’s Middleweight division. Also, Jeffrey has always been vocal about facing Eblen for a title shot, with the fighter making a callout prior to his Bellator 293 fight. With this, securing a fight against a fellow Bellator fighter shouldn’t be impossible for the champ.
Meanwhile, despite now fighting under the light heavyweight division of PFL, Brunson and Kasanganay are known for their middleweight fights back in UFC. If the callout to any of the two is made official, the fighters will likely consider it, given Eblen’s position as a champ in the division.
Ultimately, an MMA bout versus Paul is also possible for Eblen. While the YouTuber is currently preparing for a professional boxing fight against the unfamous Andre August, the fighter has a plan to make his MMA debut in 2024. PFL boss Donn Davis asked Nate Diaz to face Paul, but having Eblen could also be an option, especially now that the champ has expressed interest in the matter.
