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Updated 6/21/2026, 6:12:07 AMCompare ⇄
MMAhealthy
J
USA · Bellator

Johnny Eblen

"Diamond Hands"

ArchetypePressure Grappler

Cuts the cage, changes levels, drowns opponents in control time.

MiddleweightOrthodoxAge 34
Record
17-1-0
Win %
94%
KO / TKO
6
Submissions
2
Finish Rate
47%
Height
185 cm
Reach
188 cm
Fights
18
Secret Weapon

Fight Plan: Johnny Eblen

A coach-ready game plan — historical weaknesses opponents have exploited and what to drill in camp.

Historical Weaknesses
  • Can be vulnerable to high-level submission specialists if caught in transitions
  • Striking defense can be porous when entering the clinch
Camp Focus
  • Drill takedown defense and cage-wall scrambles
  • Stack southpaw sparring partners in camp
  • Underhook battles and posture work off the back
Blueprint Radar
BP 7.8/10

Fighter fingerprint

Six-axis profile — the shape tells you the style at a glance.

Aggression64Cardio90Wrestling94Fight IQ84Distance Control86Finishing47Johnny Eblen
Read the shape

Wrestling and Cardio are the standout edges; opponents should expect their game plan to lean on these. Finishing is the lowest axis — exploit it.

  • Aggression64
  • Cardio90
  • Wrestling94
  • Fight IQ84
  • Distance Control86
  • Finishing47
Camp Prep ReportWhat to drill this week

Prep for camp: Johnny Eblen

Recommendations a coach can act on tomorrow — opponent tendencies, drills, and the sparring styles to stack against this fight.

Most Common Tendencies
Patterns to expect in the cage
  • Utilizes an elite wrestling pedigree to keep opponents against the fence or grounded
  • Maintains a high pace and pressure to exhaust opponents over 25 minutes
  • Mixes level changes with powerful overhand rights and clinches
Training Recommendations
Drill these specific looks
  • Drill reactive sprawls — bait the shot off your right hand
  • Pad work on cutting their right-side cage exits
  • Match their pace through round 2, then turn the screws in 3
  • Win exchanges with volume, not single shots — they walk through power
  • Posture and frame drills off bottom — never give up the back
Sparring Recommendations
Stack these styles in camp
  • Southpaw pressure striker
  • Chain-wrestling D1 partner
  • High-output kickboxer with heavy leg kicks
  • Black-belt grappler comfortable on bottom
Find Footage

See it on film

Every read above should be verifiable. Jump straight to the footage on the platforms that host it legally — official channels first, archive sites second.

Striking Tape

Distance, combinations, defensive movement

Wrestling / Grappling Tape

Entries, cage control, scrambles, submissions

Recent Fights

Last 3 performances, full rounds and post-fight breakdowns

Coaches: official clip embeds per fighter are coming next — for now, deep links open searches pre-filtered to Johnny Eblen.

Fighter Evolution

How Johnny has changed

Trend lines across the last three years of tape.

2022
Aggression6.5
Wrestling8.2
Fight IQ7.2
2024
Aggression7.2
Wrestling8.6
Fight IQ7.8
2026
Aggression7.8
Wrestling9.4
Fight IQ8.4

Synthesized from recent fight tape · refresh to recompute

Similar Fighters

Stylistic neighbors

Closest matches across attributes, finish profile, and discipline — useful for sparring partner selection.

Status / Injuries

healthy

No current reported injuries.

Checked 6/21/2026

Recent Form

  • W
    vs Bryan Battle
    Submission (Face Crank) · R1 · N/A
    2026-03-28
  • L
    vs Costello van Steenis
    Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) · RN/A · N/A
    2025-07-19
  • W
    vs Fabian Edwards
    Decision (Unanimous) · R5 · PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants
    2024-10-19
  • W
    vs Impa Kasanganay
    Decision (Split) · R3 · PFL vs. Bellator: Champs
    2024-02-24
  • W
    vs Fabian Edwards
    KO (Elbows and Punches) · R3 · Bellator 299
    2023-09-23

Availability

active
Next: Impa Kasanganay · 2026-07-18

Scheduled for a rematch/bout against Kasanganay

Record

W-L-D
17-1-0
KO / TKO
6
Submissions
2
Win %
94%

Attribute Profile

Chin88
Cardio90
Fight IQ84
Striking78
Grappling85
Wrestling94

Scouting Summary

Johnny Eblen is an elite wrestler and the reigning Bellator Middleweight standout known for his relentless pace and pressure. He excels at neutralizing world-class strikers by forcing them into grappling exchanges and maintaining a pace that few in the division can match.

Primary source ↗

Tendencies

  • Utilizes an elite wrestling pedigree to keep opponents against the fence or grounded
  • Maintains a high pace and pressure to exhaust opponents over 25 minutes
  • Mixes level changes with powerful overhand rights and clinches
  • Favors a controlling top game with grounded elbows and strikes

Signature Moves

  • Double leg takedown
  • Ground and pound (Elbows)
  • Face Crank
  • Overhand right

Weaknesses

  • Can be vulnerable to high-level submission specialists if caught in transitions
  • Striking defense can be porous when entering the clinch