Monster Energy’s Johnny Eblen Defends Middleweight World Championship Title Agai… – Press Release

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Monster Energy congratulates Johnny Eblen on defeating Anatoly Tokov in the co-main event bout at Bellator 290 in Inglewood, California, on Saturday night.

INGLEWOOD, Calif., Feb. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — And still the champ! Monster Energy congratulates Johnny Eblen on defeating Anatoly Tokov in the co-main event bout at Bellator 290 in Inglewood, California, on Saturday night. In the Bellator MMA Middleweight World Championship fight, the 31-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, went the distance for a unanimous decision win (50-45, 49-46, 49-46).

BELLATOR 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2 was showcased in front of a high-energy crowd inside the Kia Forum in Inglewood on February 4, 2023. The main card was broadcast live on Showtime, and the Monster Energy Prelims streamed live on YouTube.

Monster Energy’s Eblen (13-0) stepped into the Octagon as the reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion. Eblen earned the title in June 2022 at Bellator 282 with a unanimous decision victory over Gegard Mousasi.

Eblen’s opponent in his first title defense at Bellator 290 was 32-year-old Anatoly Tokov (31-4) from Russia. A former Middleweight Champion in the Absolute Championship Berkut promotion, Tokov received a shot at the Bellator MMA title after a ground-and-pound victory over Muhammad Abdullah at Bellator 282 in June 2022.

In the opening moments of their title fight, Eblen and Tokov traded jabs and kicks from the distance, each trying to find an opening for their grappling skills. Tokov landed lead jab, but Eblen began chipping away at his stamina with punishing calf kicks. Although Eblen was dealing with a cut under his right eye from Tokov’s jabs, he settled the score with a heavy overhand punch.

The second round saw Eblen increase the pressure and take the Russian of his feet with a massive elbow strike. Heading into Round 3, Eblen stepped up the attack on the feet. He also scored the takedowns he was looking for earlier, controlling Tokov from the top and using every opportunity to…

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