Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is pushing for one of his top teammates to be competing under the same banner as him soon enough.
Strickland is currently gearing up for his first assignment of the new year — a chance at redemption opposite current 185-pound kingpin Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 312 on Feb. 8.
In the lead-up to his rematch with the South African in Sydney, Australia, Strickland hasn’t been short on top-tier training partners over at Xtreme Couture. And one of his most prominent teammates is Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen.
Eblen is 16-0 as a professional and has held Bellator gold since a dominant decision victory to dethrone Gegard Mousasi in 2022. He’s since defended the title three times, twice against Fabian Edwards, and defeated Impa Kasanganay to win a “PFL vs. Bellator Champion of Champions” Super Belt.
The 33-year-old’s future is somewhat uncertain after the PFL announced the end of the Bellator brand. While the promotion will no doubt be keen to have Eblen front and center as it enters a new era, Strickland hopes his teammate’s future lies in the Octagon.
He showed as much in a recent post on his Instagram Stories, which saw him ask the PFL to release “Johnny Pressure” in order to facilitate a move to the UFC.
The PFL has been dealing with many unhappy Bellator titleholders in recent times, with both Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix publicly requesting their releases after not receiving their desired level of activity in 2024.
Eblen, meanwhile, has remained relatively tight-lipped about his feelings toward the PFL — though he did express some confusion over his status as a Bellator champ following the elimination of the brand this year.
