Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark is no stranger to the fight game, and has his eyes on the upcoming PFL Pittsburgh event featuring Johnny Eblen vs. Bryan Battle.
Clark, who hosted a show with Daniel Cormier on ESPN, loves to analyze mixed martial arts and has trained in jiu-jitsu and Kenpo karate. The former Pittsburgh Steeler keeps tabs on events going on in the city, and with PFL’s event taking place Saturday at UMPC Events Center, it’s right up Clark’s alley.
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The main event pits former middleweight champ Eblen (16-1) against UFC veteran Battle (12-2). For Eblen, it’s his first fight since losing the title to Costello van Steenis, who pulled off a miracle submission with just 9 seconds left last July.
“It truly tells you what mixed martial arts is, because it’s not like Johnny’s not 16-1, right?” Clark told MMA Junkie radio. “I think that’s the difference in mixed martial arts than it is boxing, is that redemption is a little easier to come by. Redemption is in the next fight if you do exactly what you’re supposed to.
“Obviously, he’s in a place where he feels like he has to go out and prove he was what he was in those first 16 fights. Then, you know, ‘The Butcher’ is gonna come and try to be everything that he’s done to earn this position.”
Battle was cruising along well, results-wise, under the UFC banner; however, his issues with the scale led to being cut by the promotion. Since leaving, Battle has picked up a pair of first-round stoppages under the Dirty Boxing Championship banner, leading to PFL signing him.
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“Listen, when Brian signed with the PFL, he was one of the most sought-after free agents on the market in mixed martial arts,” Clark said. “And so, you come into this fight, and you’re ranked ninth, but you also know what you can prove. You also know what you have an opportunity to do on the biggest stage in a main event, but there’s also the ability to get caught.
“There’s also the opportunity for it to be an explosive knockout or a fight that’s full of excitement. And I think that’s what you’re excited for if you’re the PFL or if you’re the fans in Pittsburgh. But he can certainly win, and we’ve seen those things happen time and time again. But a night like Saturday is the reason you go out and sign him last year.”
Prior to Eblen’s loss to van Steenis, he was in conversations as one of the best 185-pounders in the world. There were debates about whether or not he could hang with the elite in the UFC. Since that loss, those talks have subsided. Clark believes he gets back on track Saturday, and maybe those conversations start again.
“I think Johnny rebounds,” Clark said. “I think he finds a way to finish strong, and having those losses sometimes rededicates to what got you there.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL Pittsburgh: Ryan Clark predicts Johnny Eblen ‘redemption’ story
