Johnny Eblen didn’t shock himself of any of his teammates this previous Friday when he turned the Bellator middleweight champion.
In the primary occasion of Bellator 282, Eblen swept the scorecards en path to dethroning Gegard Mousasi atop of the promotion’s 185-pound division with a whole, well-rounded displaying.
Many followers appeared shocked at the results of the struggle. However as Ariel Helwani identified Monday on The MMA Hour, maybe the promotion didn’t do as robust of a job as doable placing “The Human Cheat Code” on everybody’s radars.
“I felt like they may’ve pushed me a little bit bit extra,” Eblen stated on the present. “However that’s not my job — my job is to point out up, struggle, beat the s*** out of individuals, placed on a efficiency. I don’t know, that’s not my factor to debate how they need to promote me, what they do with their present, that’s not my job. I simply do what I’m presupposed to do they usually do what they’re presupposed to do.
“I simply felt like they may’ve carried out a little bit bit higher of a job selling me, and Mousasi. I really feel like they had been posting much more about Mousasi. It was extra on his finish, however they promoted me a little bit bit. Comparatively talking, not as a lot as Mousasi. It felt like I wasn’t getting the push I ought to’ve gotten, if that makes any sense.”
Previous to his title victory, Eblen’s American Prime Staff teammate Danny Sabatello defeated Leandro Higo in a quarterfinal matchup of the bantamweight grand prix.
Eblen can’t assist however discover the eye Sabatello has gotten from interviews, promos and his performances. Typically he wonders if he ought to go that route himself.
“I’m the man who sort of likes to sit down again, simply do the work, and let every little thing unfold on struggle night time, and never must do an excessive amount of speaking,” Eblen stated. “I’m not too good at being a personality, I’m simply good at combating and being identified for that.
“I see what Danny is doing — it will get a variety of views, will get a variety of clicks — and other people need to go and see him win, or lose, in the event that they’re followers or not, nevertheless it’s not my fashion.”
There appeared to be a chip on the shoulder of Eblen heading into his first championship alternative towards one of many sport’s legends. Feeling like many individuals had been sleeping on him heading in, Eblen simply ate up all the doubt, feeling simply days earlier than the struggle that Mousasi may have underestimated him.
Ultimately, Eblen added to the gathering of title belts at ATT, and even bought some kudos from from the two-time title holder.
“He was very respectful at weigh-ins, and I’m certain he took me critically,” Eblen defined. “I believe he thought the struggle was going to be simpler, however I’m certain he took me critically, skilled. … I imply, he was the champion, it’s not like he didn’t prepare or something.
“After the struggle, he truly adopted me on Instagram and despatched me a message saying, ‘Hey, bro you deserve this. Congratulations.’ He’s a cultured dude, an excellent man. He actually believed he was one of the best middleweight on the planet and on Friday, I checked him. My walkout track was Test Your self by Ice Dice, and that’s the rationale I selected that walkout track. I used to be like, ‘This dude is so assured proper now,’ and I knew he was the most effective, however he must verify himself earlier than he will get wrecked, and I’m going to be the dude that wrecks him. All of it performed out like that.”
