Johnny Eblen was on the wrong end of one of the biggest comebacks of 2025.
Eblen (16-1) lost his middleweight title to Costello van Steenis (17-3) by submission late in Round 5 at PFL Africa 1 in Cape Town, South Africa this past July. After dominating the majority of the fight, Eblen was choked out with just nine seconds remaining in the fight.
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“Definitely a fight that was a little weird,” Eblen told MMA Junkie. “I went out there expecting to steamroll the guy, was beating the hell out of him for three rounds. Fourth round, I think he took, then the fifth round I was winning and literally just got exhausted. It’s the fight game. If you’re not fully focused for 15 to 30 seconds, the whole fight can change. You can lose. That’s kind of what happened.”
Eblen, who takes on ex-UFC fighter Bryan Battle (12-2) in the PFL Pittsburgh main event March 28 at UPMC Events Center, was dealing with some adversity going into the fight, including not having his usual cornermen, who were with Dustin Poirier for his retirement fight at UFC 318.
“I also got injured in camp, I think, six weeks out,” Eblen added. “So, I took like a week-and-a-half or two weeks off, so I didn’t really have a full camp either. It was definitely a fight I probably should have pulled out of, but sometimes you just got to man up and show up and do your job, and that’s what I did. I almost got the win. It would be a completely different story if I would have persevered through that, but sh*t happens. I learned from this loss, and it’s a thing of the past now.”
Eblen was pushing for the rematch, but said PFL didn’t appear interested. Instead, van Steenis will defend his title against Fabian Edwards (13-3) in Friday’s PFL Madrid (ESPN+) headliner at Palacio Vistalegre in Spain, and Eblen expects to face the winner.
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“Hope Costello wins, but I think it’s a toss up,” Eblen said. “I think Costello has a bit of an advantage in the grappling, and Edwards has an advantage in the striking. I mean, it’s a tough matchup. Both guys can win, but I want Costello to win, so after I win this fight, I can rematch him and get that belt.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Johnny Eblen reveals injury, hurdles prior to stunning PFL title loss
