Johnny Eblen got back on track Saturday night, and it couldn't have come at a better time and with a better performance.
Eight months after the former Bellator middleweight champion lost a bid for the PFL title in the first loss of his career, Eblen bounced back with a thoroughly dominant first-round submission victory over Bryan Battle in the main event of PFL Pittsburgh.
It was a well-timed victory for Eblen, coming one week after the fighter who defeated him in July, Costello van Steenis, made his first defense of the 185-pound title. Though the PFL made no announcement after Saturday's main event, Eblen (17-1) put himself in prime position for a title shot rematch.
"I've got to get that belt back," Eblen said in his postfight interview in the cage. "Costello, if you're f---ing watching, I'm f---ing coming for you, baby. Revenge! Let's go! Revenge!"
Battle (12-3, 1 NC) was making his PFL debut after fighting nine times in the UFC, where he lost only once. Despite his robust record, the UFC released Battle last summer after he missed weight three times in six fights and had a bout canceled after missing the middleweight limit by 4 pounds.
He was never in Saturday's fight. Eblen took him down 15 seconds in, and every time Battle managed to climb to his feet, Eblen violently slammed him back to the canvas. Before clamping on the rear naked choke that elicited the tapout at 4 minutes, 10 seconds, Eblen secured eight takedowns, the last seven of them coming via the repeated slams.
Battle had never been manhandled like that in the UFC. The only other time he has been finished was in his second pro fight in 2019.
The co-main event was also at middleweight, and Impa Kasanganay put on an impressive performance. The 2023 champion in the PFL's old season format knocked out local fighter Dalton Rosta in the first round. It ended when Kasanganay (20-6) got the better of a wild exchange at the center of the cage, landing a right-left combination that collapsed Rosta (11-3) at 3:18.
