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October is a time for methods and treats. At month’s finish, kids from across the nation will get into their costumes and knock on doorways all through their neighborhoods to ask for sweet. The MMA world gives up extra treats this weekend because the spooky season continues.
Even higher: These treats received’t trigger any tooth to rot. This Saturday, followers of fight sports activities have three such treats to sit up for, courtesy of the PFL. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is the host metropolis for PFL Tremendous Fights: Battle of the Giants. Stay protection of the cardboard begins at 1:30 pm ET/ 10:30 am PT on ESPN+ and DAZN earlier than heading to the principle card at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT on ESPN+ and DAZN pay-per-view.
All advised, barring any late changes between now and Saturday, the ultimate model of Battle of the Giants options 9 fights. Three title fights are on the high of the invoice from Kingdom Enviornment.
Bellator Middleweight Championship Up For Grabs to Start Tripleheader
On the base of the title combat trifecta is a rescheduled contest from Bellator’s London card. Initially scheduled to occur final month, the Bellator MMA Middleweight Championship is on the road between present 185-lb. titleholder Johnny Eblen (15-0 MMA, 10-0 Bellator) and challenger Fabian Edwards (13-3 MMA, 9-3 Bellator).
As with all title fights in most promotions, this middleweight contest is an marketed most of 5 rounds at 5 minutes per spherical.
Operating it again in 🇸🇦@JohnnyEblen and @fabianedwards24 have their first face off in Saudi Arabia because the @BellatorMMA Middleweight World Title is on the road this Saturday!
[ #PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | Sat, Oct 19th | 4PM ET | BUY NOW https://t.co/kWyJTEHplu |… pic.twitter.com/49D8Lh5ina
— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 16, 2024
The Series So Far…
Heading into the rematch on Saturday night, the all-time series between Eblen and Edwards stands at 1-0 in favor of the former. 13 months ago, Eblen scored a third-round knockout in just 21 seconds due to strikes from the top mount during Bellator 299.
How will chapter two of this series play out?
Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Ahead of Battle of the Giants, both the champion and the challenger stand level at 6-foot-1. Edwards owns a 5 1/2-inch reach advantage (79 1/2 inches to 74 inches even) over Eblen.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Johnny Eblen installed as a -395 betting favorite on the money line, with Fabian Edwards countering as a +310 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend in MMA and/or combat sports, please wager responsibly.
Champ Eblen Owes MMA Career to Dad
Johnny Eblen enters Battle of the Giants on Saturday having yet to lose thus far as a professional. Counting amateur contests, he’s won 18 bouts in succession.
Last time out, he scored a split decision victory after three rounds over Impa Kasanganay (18-4 MMA) during PFL vs. Bellator in February of this year from Riyadh at Kingdom Arena. Recently, he talked to the Yokkao YouTube channel about why he chose MMA as his career path and how his family reacted to his decision.
“I started fighting because I felt like there was no other option,” Eblen began. “Normal life was boring and I really wanted to compete again, and fighting really brought that out of me. My mother does not support me fighting. She wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer. My father supported me 100 percent.”
Taking his father’s advice has paid off handsomely for the champion, who has defended his belt twice over since initially claiming it in June of 2022. Only time will tell if he can defend the championship once more.
Edwards Ready for Rematch
In the other corner, Fabian Edwards has gone 4-1 in his last five fights. Back in March, he returned to the win column thanks to a unanimous decision victory over Aaron Jeffery (15-5 MMA, 4-2 Bellator) during Bellator Champions Series 1 in Belfast on MAX.
During his media availability, Edwards discussed modifications made to his gameplan for Saturday night.
“I just feel like my preparation’s different and the small details,” he said. “It’s the small details that make a difference. I look back at the last fight, it was a small mistake that made a difference. I made sure I [corrected] these.”
In championship fights, one mistake is commonly the distinction between strolling out of the sector with the title round your waist and a protracted journey dwelling considering what could have been. Edwards can’t afford to make a mistake on Saturday.
Evaluation, Movie Examine, and Prediction
Stylistically, the rematch seems to favor Fabian Edwards, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in comparison with Johnny Eblen’s standing as a former collegiate wrestler.
Eblen Vicious On the Mat
Johnny Eblen has received seven fights inside the space, together with six knockouts. One want look no additional than the original fight versus Edwards to see how brutal he actually is when getting all the way down to the bottom.
Whereas Edwards gave Eblen a nasty reduce through the contest, the previous dropped the latter with an ideal punch, instantly taking high mount in spherical three. From there, the one dubbed “Johnny Strain” landed an impressive flurry of floor and pound pictures to pressure referee Bryan Miner to step in and finish the competition.
Search for Johnny Eblen to try to put Fabian Edwards down on the canvas. If he’s capable of drop Edwards, this contest shall be his.
Edwards Has Nice Floor Recreation
Within the different nook, Fabian Edwards is equally adept when the combat goes to the mat, like he was in BAMMA MMA in opposition to Louis King in 2017. Through the opening spherical, Edwards executed a single-leg takedown and took high mount, ultimately shifting to King’s again earlier than securing the rear-naked choke.
One of the simplest ways for Fabian Edwards to keep away from Johnny Eblen’s strikes is to take him down and hold him down as quickly as potential in Battle of the Giants.
Remaining Ideas
Saturday, a rating shall be settled after a month’s delay. This needs to be a enjoyable scrap.
Prediction: Johnny Eblen by Third-Spherical TKO.
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