UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Johnny Eblen knew it all along.
Even though there was a crowd of doubters including his Bellator 282 opponent Gegard Mousasi, Eblen (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) proved them all wrong when he won the title with a dominant unanimous decision Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
“Expected,” Eblen told MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference, as he sat with his title belt. “That’s pretty much it. It sounds like what it’s supposed to sound like. During this whole week, I knew this was going to happen. There were moments of doubt, but I worked through them like anybody else, any other hard-working man in the universe. Now, you’re a champion.”
Before the fight, Mousasi (49-8-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) predicted he’d finish Eblen. That didn’t fall on deaf ears. Eblen heard it and swept Mousasi on the scorecards with 50-45s across the board.
“I know a lot of haters and a lot of doubters doubted me,” Eblen said. “They said I was going to get finished. He even thought he was going to finish me inside three, but I knew he was wrong.”
Eblen’s corner consisted of a quartet of notable names. Dustin Poirier, Muhammed Lawal, Mike Brown, and Thiago Alves. He credits them for helping him get into top gear for his first major promotional title fight.
“The way I spar? That’s the way I spar,” Eblen said. “It was a normal Thursday sparring session. It’s the reason I brought Dustin along. He watches my rounds. He keeps me grooving and moving and feeling good. It was just another Thursday sparring session.”
Check out Eblen’s full post-fight interview in the video above.
‘Expected’: Johnny Eblen knew he’d prove doubters, Gegard Mousasi wrong at Bellator 282