Sean Strickland gives “a lot of motivation” to reinspired Johnny Eblen before PFL Austin title bout

Sean Strickland helms the UFC’s middleweight division and steadily gets in work with someone vying for gold in another promotion this weekend. The combatant in question is Johnny Eblen, who runs it back with Impa Kasanganay for a rematch with the interim middleweight belt on the line at PFL Austin on July 18th. The winner will battle lineal PFL middleweight champion Costello Van Steenis at a later juncture when the 185-pound titleholder gets off the shelf from his injury.

Speaking to the motivational component, getting to work with the UFC champion and potential future UFC Hall of Famer in Sean Strickland, who really touts Johnny Eblen’s skills in quite a high regard, Eblen said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Yeah, absolutely. A lot of motivation. Especially when you lose to a guy that you know you can beat [Costello Van Steenis]. It definitely gave me motivation to stay with the PFL and right that wrong. Cuz around that time, I was kind of like running through everybody, beating everybody, and I wanted to find new competition outside of the PFL cuz I fought everybody in the PFL.”

“But having that loss, and then having Bryan Battle come over, and now I get to run it back with Impa [Kasanganay]. Some people thought I might have lost that fight with Impa because it was a split decision and now I have a road back to redemption with Costello [Van Steenis]. It truly spiced up the division and it truly motivated me, I think.”

Sean Strickland foresees a UFC title fight with Johnny Eblen someday

Sean Strickland and Johnny Eblen have often got in work inside the gym together, whether in Florida or Nevada, with the former envisioning a fight with the latter transpiring someday. Touching upon that during a recent training excursion taken at American Top Team, Strickland stated [via Bloody Elbow],

“First session done with Johnny [Eblen], this guy is a savage… This guy is going to win the [PFL] belt. Then he’s going to come to the UFC, he’s going to win a fight and then we’re going to fight for the belt. And I don’t know who’s going to f***ing win but I know we’re going to fight.”

To that, Eblen responded,

“It’s going to be fun.”