Johnny Eblen Photo courtesy of Eblen's Facebook page.
Johnny Eblen plans for a high pace against Mauricio Alonso at Bellator 229
Johnny Eblen is a man of few words. He let’s his fighting do his talking for him. The undefeated fighter is aware of his record but his confidence isn’t based on the record.
“I don’t really care too much about my record,” he insisted.
“I usually get my confidence from my training and from the work I put in. That’s where my confidence comes from. It’s not from a fucking record, it’s not from prior fights, it’s from what I do everyday,” he finished.
Ahead of his fight with Mauricio Alonso at Bellator 229, Eblen sat down with us to discuss his upcoming fight.
“I feel really good,” Eblen spoke up his training camp.
“[I’m] very confident, the best Johnny Eblen I can be right now,” he continued.
This will be Eblen’s second fight in Bellator after an undefeated stint in Shamrock FC. While discussing his career, Eblen (5-0) talked a little about his time in Shamrock FC.
“It just gave me practice warming up for a fight,” he stated.
“Getting the jitters out. Practice makes perfect, you know. So I got my practice at a regional circuit then made the jump up.”
With a Bellator debut victory over Chauncey Foxworth, Eblen was happy with the performance and what he took away from the fight.
“The kid was tough,” he exclaimed.
“I could’ve definitely got a finish in the fight. I just didn’t pull the trigger right. I really don’t care [because] I mopped the floor with the guy. I showed I can go all three rounds. It was a good fight to have. The preparation for the fight, I felt very good for the fight … very calm never really nervous. It was probably one of the best times I’ve had prior to the fight. I felt good, had the right team around me, and also knowing I can go three rounds hard as fuck,” he stated.
The middleweight then discussed his upcoming opponent, 39-year old veteran, Mauricio Alonso. Alonso (1-1 Bellator) last fought for the organization in 2017. Alonso, a grappler, looks to end Eblen’s undefeated streak, but the Kansas City native has other plans.
“I kind of take every fight the same,” he said.
“I train seriously: I train hard as fuck. I don’t change the way I train based on the opponent. I focus a lot on myself and what I can do everyday. That’s about it,” he continued.
Eblen does have a gas tank for the middleweight division. His game-plan seems easy enough to take out the Brazilian veteran.
“I’ll tell you I’m definitely going to bring a high pace. He’s not going to like the pace I bring,” Eblen finished.
Catch Eblen v. Alonso on Bellator 229 prelims at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA Fri. Oct. 4 live on the Paramount Network.
