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Brett Okamoto
A middleweight bout between former Bellator MMA champion Johnny Eblen and Bryan Battle headline a PFL event on March 28 in Pittsburgh, CEO John Martin announced on Tuesday.
The PFL will make its promotional debut in Pittsburgh, inside UPMC Events Center at Robert Morris University. The main card airs on ESPN in the U.S.
Eblen (16-1) will look to bounce back from the first loss of his career, a shocking submission to Costello van Steenis for the PFL’s 185-pound championship in July. Eblen was heavily favored to defeat van Steenis at the inaugural PFL Africa event in Cape Town, but submitted to a rear-naked choke in the fifth round.
Battle (12-2) is looking to make a comeback of his own, albeit under much different circumstances. The 31-year-old was released by the UFC in August, after he failed to make weight for a middleweight bout in Chicago. It was the second time in a row Battle had failed to make weight, the latter coming after he even made the move up an entire weight class. Battle hasn’t suffered a loss since 2022, but his commitment has fallen under question after multiple failed cuts.
The PFL also announced a middleweight co-main event between Pennsylvania native Dalton Rosta (11-2) and 2023 PFL tournament champion Impa Kasanganay (19-6).