By The Numbers: Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards

Brian KnappOct 16, 2024

Johnny Eblen seems to relish having gold draped over his shoulder.

The undefeated American Top Team export will defend his Bellator MMA middleweight championship under Professional Fighters League auspices when he rematches Fabian Edwards in a PFL Super Fights “Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact” co-feature on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Eblen enters the cage with a perfect 15-0 record, which includes a third-round knockout of Edwards a little more than a year ago. He last suited up on Feb. 24, when he eked out a split decision over Impa Kasanganay at PFL Super Fights “PFL vs. Bellator Champs.” Edwards, meanwhile, has won four of his past five fights. He last competed at Bellator Champions Series 1, where he outpointed Aaron Jeffery to a three-round unanimous verdict on March 22.

As Eblen and Edwards approach their second encounter with one another, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

32: Years of age for Eblen, who was born on Dec. 13, 1991 in Des Moines, Iowa.

6: Eblen wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 40% of his career total (15). His list of victims: Edwards, Collin Huckbody, Daniel Madrid, Tyler Lee, Raymond Gray and Wayne Collier. Eblen owns one other win by submission (7%) and eight more by decision (53%).

848: Days spent by Eblen as undisputed Bellator middleweight champion. It ranks as the third-longest single reign in the history of the promotion’s 185-pound weight class, trailing only Hector Lombard (1,040) and Rafael Carvalho (945).

8: Consecutive calendar years in which Eblen has fought at least once. In addition to his 1-0 mark in 2024, he went 2-0 in 2017, 2-0 in 2018, 2-0 in 2019, 1-0 in 2020, 3-0 in 2021, 2-0 in 2022 and 2-0 in 2023.

61: Combined victories between the three men—Kasanganay, Edwards and Anatoly Tokov—Eblen has defeated as Bellator champion. They sport a cumulative .860 winning percentage at 61-10.

31: Years of age for Edwards, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on March 24, 1993.

3: Edwards victories by submission, accounting for 23% of his career total (13). His methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes and one armbar. Edwards holds four other victories by knockout or technical knockout (31%) and six more by decision (46%).

60: Seconds needed for Edwards to put away Claudio Conti with a body kick under the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts banner on May 12, 2018. More than six years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.

37: Rounds started by Edwards as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on eight different occasions and carries a 6-2 record in those bouts.

.891: Cumulative winning percentage between the three men—Eblen, Austin Vanderford and Costello van Steenis—who have beaten Edwards. They boast a combined record of 41-5.