After a dominant win earlier this month to stay unbeaten, Johnny Eblen said he was ready for a shot at the middleweight title.
And that’s just what he’ll get. Eblen (11-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) will get his first shot at a Bellator belt later this summer when he takes on middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi (49-7-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA).
MMA Junkie confirmed the booking for Bellator 282 on June 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a person with knowledge of the matchup. It first was reported by Twitter user Santiago MMA. The event subsequently was made official by the promotion.
In addition, Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix will continue with a pair of quarterfinal fights. Magomed Magomedov will take on the winner of Enrique Barzola and Josh Hill, who fight in Honolulu in April. And Leandro Higo will meet the winner of Jornel Lugo vs. Danny Sabatello. Plus, Alejandra Lara will take on Ilara Joanne in a women’s flyweight bout on the prelims.
Eblen dominated John Salter in their middleweight fight at Bellator 276 in St. Charles, Mo., a little more than two weeks ago. Salter was in the top spot in Bellator’s official rankings behind champ Mousasi, who beat him in a title fight in 2021. Eblen sat at No. 3 before the fight, then became the top contender after his win.
“I’m a man who likes to work, so whatever gets me the next fight, I’m down to do it,” Eblen told MMA Junkie. “Obviously, I would love to fight for the title. If that doesn’t happen, so be it. But I am the No. 1 contender now, and the guy hasn’t fought me yet. So let’s do it maybe.
“If I fight three more times and get a little bit more experience, I’ll probably be more prepared for that fight. But the thing is, I think I’m ready now. I think I match up well with Mousasi. I think I’m just a younger version of him, pretty much.”
The 36-year-old Mousasi is coming off a quick TKO win over one of Eblen’s American Top Team teammates, Austin Vanderford, in the Bellator 275 main event in February.
