October is a time for tricks and treats. At month’s end, children from around the country will get into their costumes and knock on doors throughout their neighborhoods to ask for candy. The MMA world offers up more treats this weekend as the spooky season continues.
Even better: These treats won’t cause any teeth to rot. This Saturday, fans of combat sports have three such treats to look forward to, courtesy of the PFL. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is the host city for PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants. Live coverage of the card begins at 1:30 pm ET/ 10:30 am PT on ESPN+ and DAZN before heading to the main card at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT on ESPN+ and DAZN pay-per-view.
All told, barring any late adjustments between now and Saturday, the final version of Battle of the Giants features nine fights. Three title fights are at the top of the bill from Kingdom Arena.
Bellator Middleweight Championship Up For Grabs to Begin Tripleheader
At the base of the title fight trifecta is a rescheduled contest from Bellator’s London card. Initially scheduled to happen last month, the Bellator MMA Middleweight Championship is on the line between current 185-lb. titleholder Johnny Eblen (15-0 MMA, 10-0 Bellator) and challenger Fabian Edwards (13-3 MMA, 9-3 Bellator).
As with all title fights in most promotions, this middleweight contest is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round.
Running it back in 🇸🇦@JohnnyEblen and @fabianedwards24 have their first face off in Saudi Arabia as the @BellatorMMA Middleweight World Title is on the line this Saturday!
[ #PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | Sat, Oct 19th | 4PM ET | BUY NOW https://t.co/kWyJTEHplu |… pic.twitter.com/49D8Lh5ina
— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 16, 2024
The Series So Far…
Heading into the rematch on Saturday night, the all-time series between Eblen and Edwards stands at 1-0 in favor of the former. 13 months ago, Eblen scored a third-round knockout in just 21 seconds due to strikes from the top mount during Bellator 299.
How will chapter two of this series play out?
Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Ahead of Battle of the Giants, both the champion and the challenger stand level at 6-foot-1. Edwards owns a 5 1/2-inch reach advantage (79 1/2 inches to 74 inches even) over Eblen.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Johnny Eblen installed as a -395 betting favorite on the money line, with Fabian Edwards countering as a +310 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend in MMA and/or combat sports, please wager responsibly.
Champ Eblen Owes MMA Career to Dad
Johnny Eblen enters Battle of the Giants on Saturday having yet to lose thus far as a professional. Counting amateur contests, he’s won 18 bouts in succession.
Last time out, he scored a split decision victory after three rounds over Impa Kasanganay (18-4 MMA) during PFL vs. Bellator in February of this year from Riyadh at Kingdom Arena. Recently, he talked to the Yokkao YouTube channel about why he chose MMA as his career path and how his family reacted to his decision.
“I started fighting because I felt like there was no other option,” Eblen began. “Normal life was boring and I really wanted to compete again, and fighting really brought that out of me. My mother does not support me fighting. She wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer. My father supported me 100 percent.”
Taking his father’s advice has paid off handsomely for the champion, who has defended his belt twice over since initially claiming it in June of 2022. Only time will tell if he can defend the championship once more.
Edwards Ready for Rematch
In the other corner, Fabian Edwards has gone 4-1 in his last five fights. Back in March, he returned to the win column thanks to a unanimous decision victory over Aaron Jeffery (15-5 MMA, 4-2 Bellator) during Bellator Champions Series 1 in Belfast on MAX.
During his media availability, Edwards discussed modifications made to his gameplan for Saturday night.
“I just feel like my preparation’s different and the small details,” he said. “It’s the small details that make a difference. I look back at the last fight, it was a small mistake that made a difference. I made sure I [corrected] those.”
In championship fights, one mistake is often the difference between walking out of the arena with the title around your waist and a long trip home thinking what may have been. Edwards can’t afford to make a mistake on Saturday.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the rematch looks to favor Fabian Edwards, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Johnny Eblen’s status as a former collegiate wrestler.
Eblen Vicious On the Mat
Johnny Eblen has won seven fights inside the distance, including six knockouts. One need look no further than the original fight versus Edwards to see how brutal he really is when getting down to the ground.
While Edwards gave Eblen a nasty cut during the contest, the former dropped the latter with a great punch, immediately taking top mount in round three. From there, the one dubbed “Johnny Pressure” landed a magnificent flurry of ground and pound shots to force referee Bryan Miner to step in and end the contest.
Look for Johnny Eblen to try and put Fabian Edwards down on the canvas. If he’s able to drop Edwards, this contest will be his.
Edwards Has Great Ground Game
In the other corner, Fabian Edwards is equally adept when the fight goes to the mat, like he was in BAMMA MMA against Louis King in 2017. During the opening round, Edwards executed a single-leg takedown and took top mount, eventually moving to King’s back before securing the rear-naked choke.
The best way for Fabian Edwards to avoid Johnny Eblen’s strikes is to take him down and keep him down as soon as possible in Battle of the Giants.
Final Thoughts
Saturday, a score will be settled after a month’s delay. This should be a fun scrap.
Prediction: Johnny Eblen by Third-Round TKO.
