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A Bellator champion recently made a bold claim about the best middleweight fighters in the sport, stating that he and Sean Strickland are at the top. There is plenty of debate as to how champions and contenders match up against their counterparts in the MMA leader, but it's important to note that several of them train together.
Since becoming Bellator middleweight champion, Johnny Eblen has received plenty of praise from fans, media members, and fellow fighters. He is unbeaten in his MMA career and has defeated the likes of Gegard Mousasi, Fabian Edwards, and most recently Impa Kasanganay.
During his pre-fight media availability ahead of this Saturday's PFL: Battle of the Giants, the reigning Bellator middleweight champion answered who he considers as the top middleweight in MMA. Eblen named himself and Strickland and mentioned that he has witnessed the former UFC champion's work ethic and skills when training with him at Xtreme Couture:
"I'm going to have to go with my boy Sean Strickland...I think we're truly the best middleweights in the world. The fact that I get to train with him, and we happen to be in different promotions right now is kind of cool. And that we get to train together, and also we're both making good money. So that's the best middleweight I could say" [7:21 - 7:51]
Check out Johnny Eblen's pre-fight media availability featuring comments about Sean Strickland below:
Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen describes sparring with Sean Strickland
Johnny Eblen and Sean Strickland have spent time training together and have both heaped praise on each other's skills.
During his appearance on today's episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Eblen mentioned that he and Strickland approach sparring like an actual fight and bring the best out of each other:
"It's like pay-per-view rounds for everybody that's watching. We're both getting better. And yeah, man, it's just a challenge. It's like, every time we spar, we change our style a little bit and it's like a chess match each and every time. And it's great too cause I get to train with all the guys at Xtreme [Couture] and I get different looks and I get to pick Eric Nicksick's brain a little bit...It's always a great time."
Check out Johnny Eblen's comments regarding Sean Strickland below:
