Following the
Professional Fighters League’s acquisition of
Bellator
MMA in November, there was speculation that the company would
put on a blockbuster champion-versus-champion card in 2024. The
organization is now gearing up to set foot in the Middle East for
the historic
PFL vs. Bellator Champs supershow this Saturday at the Kingdom
Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will host four
championship fights in the heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight
and featherweight divisions.
In the co-main event, 2023 light heavyweight tournament winner
Impa
Kasanganay will face off against undefeated Bellator
middleweight champion
Johnny
Eblen at 185 pounds.
Currently on a six-fight winning streak, Kasanganay made his way to
the PFL after going 2-2 in the UFC and has been on a tear in the
promotion. “Tshilobo” most recently secured the PFL 2023 light
heavyweight championship in a clash against
Joshua
Silveira in November. Eblen, on the other hand, is undoubtedly
one of the most talented middleweights in MMA today. The
American Top Team product is the reigning middleweight champion
of Bellator MMA and coming off an emphatic third-round knockout of
Fabian
Edwards at
Bellator 299, where he recorded his second title defense.
As Kasanganay and Eblen move closer to their impending showdown, a
look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this
point:
4: Eblen kicked off his professional mixed martial arts career by
recording four consecutive victories via finish, all in the first
frame.
43: Percent KO/TKO rate for Eblen, who has six such wins on his
resume.
7: Unanimous decision victories for Eblen, indicating his ability
to embrace the grind and go the distance to walk away with the
win.
32: Years of age for Eblen, who was born on Dec. 13, 1991 in Des
Moines, Iowa.
8: Kasanganay went on an eight-fight winning streak to kick off his
professional MMA career.
5: Round 1 finishes for Kasanganay, highlighting his ability to end
fights quickly when he sees an opening.
6: Kasanganay’s middleweight clash against Eblen will be his sixth
outing in 12 months.