Johnny Eblen targets John Salter in Dublin after new Bellator deal with championship language

Johnny Eblen sees himself as a future champion in the Bellator middleweight division, and he thinks the promotion carries the same faith.

Eblen (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) said the evidence of that faith is right in front of him. He just signed a new six-fight contract with the organization that sets him up for a run at the belt.

“They see where I’m going with my career and they’re paying me accordingly,” Eblen told MMA Junkie. “We negotiated terms on future bouts like title bouts and title defenses and all that. So they understand I’m a contender and I’m looking to take that title. This new contract that I signed definitely shows it.”

Eblen doesn’t think he’s all that far out from challenging for the 185-pound strap, which will be on the line Feb. 25 when champion Gegard Mousasi defends against Austin Vanderford in Dublin.

With six fights under the Bellator banner in less than two years, Eblen is already No. 4 in the latest Bellator official rankings. His goal is to be No. 1, and he sees the perfect opponent to help elevate him to that spot.

Eblen is calling for a fight against former title challenger John Salter (18-5 MMA, 8-2 BMMA), who he thinks could propel him into a title shot, or at worst a title eliminator.

“They could possibly give (the next title shot) to me. They could possibly give it to (Anatoly) Tokov,” Eblen said. “Maybe they give him a title shot, maybe they don’t. Maybe they make us fight. But first, I want to take care of John Salter because that’s a fight I’ve already had set in my mind. There’s a way I want to finish that dude.”