Johnny Eblen competed on the preliminary card of Bellator 218, defeating Chauncey Foxworth by unanimous decision.
The fighter did want a finish at Bellator 218, but admits that Foxworth was as tough he expected.
“I kind of expected him to be tough,” Eblen told MMA Junkie. “I knew he was a fighter, a brawler. But as soon as I got my hands on him, I knew I was going to win the fight. It went three rounds, and I didn’t want it to go three rounds. I wanted to finish the guy. But he’s a tough dude. He didn’t give up. He didn’t give me too many openings to get the finish, or I didn’t pull the trigger when I saw the finish.”
That victory over Foxworth wasn’t just the fifth of Eblen’s professional MMA career, but his first win by way of decision.
Even though Eblen didn’t get the finish against Foxworth, one thing the fighter did was feel at home in the cage.
“I felt kind of at home,” he said. “It was a perfect step up in venue size, in ring size – the ring was a lot bigger. I actually liked it. And also a step up in competition – the dude was tough.”
Eblen, who trains at American Top Team, is expected to be back in action later this year.
