INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Modesty took a back seat to reality Saturday, as far as Johnny Eblen likely is concerned.
Eblen not long ago only was willing to say he was Bellator’s best middleweight after he won the title with a dominant performance against Gegard Mousasi in just his 12th career fight. But after Eblen (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) picked up his first title defense with a unanimous decision over Anatoly Tokov (31-4 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) in the Bellator 290 co-main event, things may have changed.
“I think I’m the best in the world now,” Eblen told MMA Junkie at his post-fight news conference at Kia Forum near Los Angeles. “How I’m training, how much I’m getting better exponentially, I think I’m the best in the world – hands down.”
