PFL Pittsburgh results: Johnny Eblen quickly disposes of Bryan Battle
Johnny Eblen wanted to prove a point and he may have done just that.
Johnny Eblen wanted to get back sooner but showed no ring rust when it came time to finally return. At PFL Pittsburgh , Eblen (17-1) made quick work of recent UFC fighter Bryan Battle (12-3) with a rear-naked choke that conjured a tap at 4:10 of Round 1. The three-round middleweight bout headlined Saturday's event at UMPC Events Center in Pittsburgh.
It was a fast, one-sided affair as Eblen tossed Battle to the canvas and then got the back where he locked in a rear-naked choke. Eblen told MMA Junkie before the fight that he felt he should've been the first title defense of champion Costello van Steenis, and he put more evidence behind that claim by defeating a former "TUF" winner. STATEMENT MADE.
JOHNNY EBLEN WITH THE FIRST ROUND SUBMISSION ON BRYAN BATTLE š„ #PFLPittsburgh | LIVE NOW ON ESPN 2 | UPMC Events Center | Pittsburgh, PA pic. twitter. com/xgrWgP5RRk ā PFL (@PFLMMA) March 29, 2026 Eblen likely aligns himself for van Steenis, who defeated Fabian Edwards eight days prior at PFL Madrid.
The bout will be a rematch of van Steenis' come-from-behind victory in July, which ended in the waning seconds of the final round. Battle comes up short in his promotional debut. He succeeded during his UFC tenure, compiling a whopping 7-1 record.