"My emotions were high" - Johnny Eblen reveals what he told Leon Edwards after beating his brother to defend Bellator title
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards was involved in a heated altercation with Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen following the main event of Bellator 299. Post the altercation, Eblen has disclosed a conversation between him and Edwards that "squashed the beef" between them.
Eblen (14-0) kept his undefeated record going, after he made a second consecutive title defense against Leon Edwards' brother Fabian (12-2), winning the contest via a third-round stoppage at the 3Arena in Dublin.
After the contest, Eblen got into a skirmish with 'Rocky,' who was cornering his brother. Security quickly got involved, separating both champions before things could escalate.
In the post-fight presser, the Bellator middleweight champion addressed the situation, revealing a conversation with 'Rocky' and offering that overwhelming 'emotions' got the better of him:
"I went over after and I told him [Leon Edwards], 'Hey man, sorry. Emotions were high.' I squashed the beef. I don’t have anything wrong with them. I just want to fight the guy."
Check out the full interview here (quotes start from 1:55 - 2:02):
Johnny Eblen wants Leon Edwards to beat Colby Covington
'Pressure' expressed an interest in competing against 'Rocky' in the future. However, he understands that for now, Edwards has Colby Covington to deal with. In the aforementioned interview, he criticized 'Chaos' and said (1:39 onwards):
"I honestly hope he beat Colby [Covington]. I hate Colby. That dude sucks."
Mind you, Eblen trains at the American Top Team, where Covington used to train. The rivalry between ATT and Covington explains why Elben despises the former UFC interim welterweight champion.
Edwards and Covington will lock horns at UFC 296. The current champion is coming off back-to-back wins over former pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman, who holds 2-championship wins over 'Chaos.' Nonetheless, the MMA Masters representative will be aiming to get the undisputed UFC strap around his waist in his third attempt.