According to Johnny Eblen, two of the best middleweights are in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Bellator middleweight champion Eblen puts his title on the line Fabian Edwards at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants this weekend (Sat. October 19, 2024) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The two middleweights fought at Bellator 299 in 2023, and Eblen floored Edwards with brutal elbows.

Eblen has long been considered one of the best middleweights in the world to fight outside of the UFC. Today, at the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants media day (view here), he was asked who he thinks the best 185 fighter is right now.

“I have to go with my boy, Sean Strickland“Eblen told the media. “Every time I train with him in Las Vegas, it’s about laps. He catches me sometimes; I understand him sometimes. I think we really are the best middleweights in the world, and the fact that I get to train with him and we happen to be in different promotions is kind of cool. We also earn good money. So that's the best middleweight I can say. But everyone can have their day. There are the top five, and any of them can become a champion.”

Eblen often trains with former UFC middleweight champion Strickland for his training camp. However, for this particular camp, “Tarzan” Eblen didn’t give any additional work because Edwards is a southpaw.

If I can break the fourth wall for a second, I've watched Strickland and Eblen spar several times. They fight in the training room and it's really a joy to watch how they do and how good they are.

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