PFL star Johnny Eblen explains why he'd fight Sean Strickland in the UFC despite being friends and training partners

Johnny Eblen is known to share a bond of mutual respect with reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

They often train and spar together at the world-renowned Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas. Eblen, a former Bellator MMA middleweight champion, primarily trains at the reputable ATT (American Top Team) gym in Coconut Creek, Florida. 

Nevertheless, the two American MMA stars have also implied that they'd have no qualms about clashing against each other in a mixed martial arts bout. Eblen has now opened up on his mindset behind the same. 

PFL titlist Johnny Eblen is looking to unify the middleweight titles by avenging his loss to Costello van Steenis

Johnny Eblen is coming off a TKO victory in his rematch against Impa Kasanganay that headlined PFL Austin last Saturday. He'd previously bested Kasanganay by way of split decision back in 2024. 

The win at PFL Austin earned Eblen the interim PFL middleweight title, as reigning middleweight champion Costello van Steenis has been on the sidelines due to injury issues.

The Dutch-Spaniard fighter was, before his injury hiatus, booked to defend his title in a rematch against Eblen at PFL Austin. Van Steenis won their first encounter, scoring a fifth-round submission win over Eblen last year. 

Well, Eblen's interim title win has now set up a title unification clash for him against van Steenis -- an opportunity to avenge his past defeat -- when the latter returns to action. 

Meanwhile, Eblen's friend and sparring partner Sean Strickland is being pursued by former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev for their potential title rematch. 

PFL star Johnny Eblen breaks down why his fighting friend and training partner, UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland, is feasible

During a conversation with host Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, Johnny Eblen spoke about his PFL Austin win and more.

He was also asked about a recent social media video, wherein Sean Strickland urged him to come over to the UFC and fight him for the UFC middleweight belt.

Strickland had given props to Eblen and implied that he rates the PFL star quite well -- to the extent that he believes either could win if they face off inside the octagon. 

Eblen responded by reaffirming his willingness to compete against Strickland in a professional MMA contest. He stated, "Yeah. I'd be happy to fight him. We fight each other for free... Come on! Let's make some money." 

Helwani chimed in and alluded to the dichotomy of sparring and professional competition, indicating that a pro MMA bout for the UFC title would entail the element of taking something away from one another. 

Eblen appeared to have a different perspective on it. The PFL MMA star explained, "It's not like we're trying to take away from each other, if that makes any sense. We're just competitors." 

Citing their dynamics during sparring sessions, Eblen added, "Even when we spar, we spar hard, Ariel. It's not easy rounds, man. We spar with big gloves 'cause it's like, alright, we're trying to crack each other."

The wrestling savant added, "Obviously, if someone gets dazed a little bit, we're not trying to go in for the kill 'cause we're training. But it's just competition, man. I grew up competing against my friends my whole life." 

Moreover, the 34-year-old highlighted that he started wrestling at the age of four and often wrestled against friends, alluding that his background as an amateur wrestler made him habituated to compete against his friends. 

Watch Johnny Eblen discuss a potential UFC showdown against Sean Strickland below: 

Johnny Eblen explains why he'd have no issue fighting Sean Strickland despite their friendship:

"I'd be happy to fight him. We fight each other for free.

We're just competitors. Even when we spar, we spar hard. It's not easy rounds, man. We spar with big gloves because we're… pic.twitter.com/WTt9stC7ho

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 22, 2026