Johnny Eblen returns for his fifth Bellator fight this Friday, and is inching closer and closer to a title shot. He also has no problem going through his teammate Austin Vanderford to claim that belt.
Eblen (9-0) puts his No. 5 ranking on the line at Bellator 272 against Collin Huckbody. Eblen is 5-0 in the promotion and is looking to make his sixth win dominant.
“I think it’s a great match-up for me. I’m better than him everywhere, to be completely honest, but yeah, I mean, I just think I put it on this guy, and he has no chance, you know. I can’t wait to get locked in the cage with him and show everybody what I can do to this human,” Eblen told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview.
“Diamond Hands” is a fight or two away from fighting for the middleweight title if he gets past Huckbody on Saturday. His teammate and the No. 1 contender Austin Vanderford is the next man up to face middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi.
Every situation is different when it comes to teammates fighting. Some fighters choose not to fight; some choose only to fight when it comes to titles, and some realize it’s just business, and there is money to be made. That is where Eblen falls.
“I have no problems fighting Austin. It’s all business, and I like to fight. I’m sure he feels the same way. If I have to fight teammates, I’ll fight teammates. I come from a wrestling background where we had to wrestle our teammates almost every other weekend. I would have to wrestle open tournaments and sh*t, so this is nothing new to me. Maybe it’s a little bit more personal because we’re punching each other in the face and trying to finish each other, but it’s competition at the end of the day,” Eblen said. “I’m a competitor. I’m a fighter, and I don’t really give a sh*t who you are. If you pay me enough money, and it’s for a title, I’ll probably fight you.”
Johnny Eblen fights Collin Huckbody on the main card of Bellator 272 on Friday, December 3, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The card airs live on Showtime in the U.S.
