Johnny Eblen discusses accuracy of Fight Matrix's MMA rankings: "I just don't have the opportunity to fight certain people"
Johnny Eblen recently discussed Fight Matrix's MMA rankings and shared his thoughts on whether it is a true representation of the sport. He highlighted that the competition level of each promotion is factored into the decision-making of determining each fighter's unbiased ranking.
The reigning Bellator middleweight champion is considered as one of the top 185-pounders in the world, which is significant considering the talent in the UFC middleweight division. The unbeaten middleweight has gained plenty of momentum during his tenure with the PFL-operated promotion and has earned impressive wins over the likes of Gegard Mousasi and Impa Kasanganay.
While speaking to Brian Mazique, the 32-year-old shared his thoughts on the legitimacy of the Fight Matrix rankings that had him listed at No. 7. Eblen mentioned that he believes that fair, especially considering who is available to fight him compared to UFC middleweights:
"I think [the Fight Matrix ranking] is pretty accurate cause it's based off who you fight. And I just don't have the opportunity to fight certain people but if they can take into account who I train with and what my coaches say and all that stuff behind-the-scenes, you know, that changes a lot... Sometimes you have conversations with people and you know something about somebody that no one else knows." [3:06 - 3:39]
Check out the full interview with Johnny Eblen below:
When is Johnny Eblen's next fight?
Johnny Eblen is scheduled to return to the cage later this month as he defends his Bellator middleweight championship against Fabian Edwards at PFL: Battle of the Giants on Oct. 19.
The bout is a rematch of their 2023 encounter, which saw Eblen earn an impressive third-round knockout to retain his title and improve to 14-0. It will be interesting to see whether the rematch will be a similar result and if the reigning Bellator middleweight champion could make a strong argument for why he deserves to be ranked higher in the Fight Matrix MMA rankings.
Check out the promo poster for Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2 below: