Johnny Eblen recently opened up about his shocking loss to Costello van Steenis and didn’t hold back. He called van Steenis’ win a fluke and challenged him to an immediate rematch for the PFL middleweight championship.
Eblen vs. van Steenis headlined PFL Cape Town, a historic event for the promotion. It marked their first-ever event in Africa and included the launch of PFL Africa.
The middleweight title fight appeared destined to go the distance. Eblen had been in control for the majority of the fight and was comfortably ahead. van Steenis needed a finish, and he got it dramatically.
With just nine seconds remaining, van Steenis locked in a rear-naked choke. Eblen passed out rather than tap, suffering the first loss of his career.
Now, the former champion is focused on redemption and reclaiming the middleweight championship. During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Eblen vented his frustration with the submission loss and challenged van Steenis.
“If you’re a real man, bro, you’ll run it back with me,” Eblen said. “You watched that fight and you watched those first three rounds, I dominated you.”
Eblen criticized van Steenis for celebrating what he views as a lucky win.
“It’s just frustrating, cause as a man, I wouldn’t want wanna win that way. I would wanna win by completely dominating you, not having a fluke victory.”
Johnny Eblen Explains What Went Wrong at PFL Cape Town
Eblen gave a detailed breakdown of what went wrong during the final round. He admitted to burning too much energy early on while attempting to finish van Steenis. That led to exhaustion, and eventually, a costly mistake.
Eblen said he was confident entering the final round after winning the first three and conceding the 4th. Even after losing the 4th round, he believed the fight was still his to close out.
“I was really tired, I pushed a little too hard too early,” Eblen said. “I felt there was a lot of urgency for me to get a finish. In practice, in sparring, I kind of pushed that pace.”
He added:
“In the 5th [round], I was winning, I had him down and just had a mental lapse. He got a reversal and I was exhausted and I made a mistake.”
“Man, I was really tired. I pushed a little too hard too early… I won rounds 1-3 and in the 4th he came to fight. He had a little bit more gas than me and definitely won the 4th.
In the 5th
Johnny Eblen Shares Honest Thoughts on Fighting Outside the Unites States
Eblen also addressed the challenged in fighting outside the United States. He admitted that it has been difficult due to the changes required and was honest about his own performances.
Since PFL absorbed Bellator, Eblen hasn’t fought on American soil. His last bout in the U.S. was at Bellator 290, where he defeated Anatoly Tokov by unanimous decision. His last four bouts have taken place in Ireland, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
Eblen believes the travel and preparations in a new time zone have negatively affected his performance.
“I gotta fly people out, it’s just a big expense,” Eblen told The Ariel Helwani Show. “I gotta fly out early to acclimate, I have to adjust my camp, there’s just many other things I have to think about and co-ordinate…The fights overseas, I don’t quite fight the same or look the same.”
Johnny Eblen Blasts PFL Champion Costello van Steenis: ‘Run It Back’