Bellator 272: Johnny Eblen Gunning for John Salter Fight

For an athlete who earned a first-round finish at Bellator 272, middleweight Johnny Eblen was awfully hard on himself.

“Honestly I’m a little bit disappointed. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go,” Eblen (10-0) said shortly after his 71-second finish of Contender Series winner Collin Huckbody. “I wanted to land some bigger shots, put on a little bit longer of a show. If it ends that quick, I want it to end like my Daniel Madrid knockout or something like that. I did land some heavy shots, but not ideal for me.”

What Eblen was apparently looking for was “where I literally send somebody to the metaverse,” he added. “I’m trying to send people to the metaverse instead of the shadow realm. I think the shadow realm is getting clogged up, so switched to the metaverse, trying to send motherf*ckers there.”

Either way, the undefeated Eblen is turning out the lights on opponents. After starting his Bellator career with a trio of decisions, he’s now earned first-round finishes in two out of his last three fights.

Next up, Johnny Eblen is hoping for a match-up with John Salter — who he’s been booked opposite before.

“I had my heart set on that fight. I signed to fight him at the Hard Rock in Florida. I was gearing up for that fight, and he ended up pulling out,”recalled Eblen. “I don’t know if he was actually hurt or if he’s scared to fight me, I really don’t give a sh*t. I just want to put on a great performance, to fight a good fighter like John Salter, and put him away.”

Watch the full Bellator 272 post-fight press conference with Johnny Eblen above. More coverage from the event can be found below.