{"id":371253,"date":"2026-07-24T13:54:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=371253"},"modified":"2026-07-24T13:54:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:24:03","slug":"johnny-eblen-explains-why-hes-open-to-fighting-teammate-sean-strickland-in-potential-future-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/johnny-eblen-explains-why-hes-open-to-fighting-teammate-sean-strickland-in-potential-future-clash\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnny Eblen explains why he’s open to fighting teammate Sean Strickland in potential future clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Follow us on Google Discover<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Johnny Eblen is open to in the future fighting his teammate Sean Strickland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This past Saturday, Johnny Eblen won the PFL interim middleweight title when he knocked out former UFC star Impa Kasanganay within the third round.<\/p>\n

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That may now set \u2018Pressure\u2019 Eblen up for a rematch with PFL middleweight champion, Costello Van Steenis, who choked him unconscious last July.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the 34-year-old has once more talked a few potential future move to the UFC, and a possible clash against his teammate, Sean Strickland.<\/p>\n

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After producing two of the best upsets in UFC history, is it time to offer Sean Strickland his flowers? \ud83d\udc51<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Credit: Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

Eblen explains why he would fight Strickland for UFC title<\/h2>\n

Eblen has made it pretty clear over the past few years that he’s working towards a move to the premier MMA promotion.<\/p>\n

His teammate, Strickland, currently reigns over the middleweight division, and Strickland has previously begged the UFC to not sign Eblen because he thinks he would get beaten by him.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, despite being his teammate and recently cornering him for his title fight, Strickland recently stated that he desires to fight Eblen for a UFC title within the not so distant future.<\/p>\n

Strickland clearly has no problem with fighting teammates within the UFC as he recently took the title from Khamzat Chimaev after training with him for several years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be comfortable to fight him, we fight one another free of charge,\u201d Eblen recently agreed with Strickland in an appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get some money! It\u2019s not like we\u2019re attempting to take away from one another, we\u2019re just competitors, even after we spar, we spar hard, it\u2019s demanding rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously we\u2019re not attempting to go in for the kill (if someone gets dazed) because we\u2019re training nevertheless it\u2019s just competition. I grew up competing against my friends all my life. I began wrestling from the age of 4 and also you wrestled your teammates on a regular basis,\u201d Eblen continued.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eblen spends nearly all of his time training at American Top Team, while also training at Xtreme Couture with Strickland.<\/p>\n

But before \u2018Pressure\u2019 Eblen can take into consideration fighting for the UFC title, he might want to fight out his contract within the PFL.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, due to the storyline surrounding him and Strickland, he could likely find himself being fast-tracked to a UFC title shot if he does eventually find himself signing with the promotion.<\/p>\n

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Follow us on Google Discover Johnny Eblen is open to in the future fighting his teammate Sean Strickland. This past Saturday, Johnny Eblen won the PFL interim middleweight title when he knocked out former UFC star Impa Kasanganay within the third round. That may now set \u2018Pressure\u2019 Eblen up for a rematch with PFL middleweight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":371254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[1128,17703,2704,4566,994,2735,7480,1574,2095,3930,3931,7637],"class_list":["post-371253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-clash","tag-eblen","tag-explains","tag-fighting","tag-future","tag-hes","tag-johnny","tag-open","tag-potential","tag-sean","tag-strickland","tag-teammate"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t