Johnny Eblen kept his undefeated record intact, but it didn’t come without a close call.
On the main card of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, Bellator champ Eblen (15-0) met PFL’s Impa Kasanganay in the co-feature middleweight bout. The fight was filled with back-and-forth action, but after 15 minutes, it was Eblen who got his hand raised over Kasanganay (15-4) with a split decision nod (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
After initial striking exchanges, Eblen went to his wrestling game in an attempt to bring the fight to the mat. Kasanganay kept things standing, however, and the round continued to unfold with calculated striking offerings from both fighters. As the round wore on, Kasanganay’s confidence grew and his striking attacks varied, including a flying knee at the bell.
Eblen came out firing in Round 2 and paid the cost. Kasanganay began to light up Eblen with hard punches, sending the Bellator champ to the canvas. The flurry was on for Kasanganay, but Eblen was able to grab a hold of a leg to slow the moment.
HUGE knockdown from @kingimpa 💥#PFLvsBellator | Live on DAZN pic.twitter.com/PzVDn48LCw
— DAZN MMA (@daznmma) February 24, 2024
Kasanganay broke free for a moment to unload another combination, but Eblen got right back in on the hips. Refusing to give up on the takedown, Eblen got Kasanganay down, even taking the back momentarily. Eblen ended the round on top after landing some hard ground and pound.
With just five minutes to go, Eblen continued to build upon his late second-round surge. Forward pressure from Eblen led to winning exchanges on the feet and eventually taking Kasanganay’s back on the mat looking for a rear-naked choke. The finish wouldn’t come, however and the fight would go to the scorecards.
JOHNNY EBLEN!#PFLvsBellator LIVE NOW
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🌏 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/YhoyvNG7tv— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 24, 2024
After receiving the “Super Belt” from Mike Tyson, Eblen admitted during his post-fight interview that he had to dig deep to regain momentum in the fight.
As a result, Eblen remains undefeated in his professional career, while also adding another Bellator victory over PFL on the evening.
Up-to-the-minute results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions include:
- Johnny Eblen def. Impa Kasanganay via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jason Jackson def. Ray Cooper III via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:23
- Vadim Nemkov def. Bruno Cappelozza via technical submission (arm triangle) – Round 2, 2:13
- Yoel Romero def. Thiago Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- A.J. McKee def. Clay Collard via submission (triangle armbar) – Round 1, 1:10
- Aaron Pico def. Henry Corrales via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 4:53
- Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Emmanuel Palacio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Claressa Shields def. Kelsey DeSantis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Abdullah Al-Qahtani def. Edukondala Rao via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:23
- Malik Basahel def. Vinicius Pereira via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.
