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Johnny Eblen wants Sean Strickland bout: ‘We fight each other for free’

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Johnny Eblen wants Sean Strickland bout: ‘We fight each other for free’

Johnny Eblen (above) says a Sean Strickland fight would be
different outside the gym. | 📷: PFL MMA



Johnny
Eblen and Sean
Strickland never go easy on each other.

Eblen and Strickland have developed a strong friendship despite
training at different gyms. Moreover, Strickland frequently
campaigns for Eblen to get a
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract in the future. The
reigning UFC titleholder recently said that he wouldn't mind
putting his middleweight belt on the line against Eblen and the
latter would happily oblige.

Johnny Eblen explains why friendship would not stop a fight
with Sean Strickland

Eblen recently explained why he doesn't mind fighting Strickland
even though they are friends. He says he'd rather fight Strickland
for money since they anyway do it for free in the gym. Eblen
revealed that they go hard against each other in sparring sessions
and often use big gloves as they are both looking to land
damage.

However, Eblen clarifies that neither one is looking for a finish
if they see that the other is rocked. Having grown up wrestling
since the age of four, the interim
Professional Fighters League middleweight king is also no
stranger to competing against his teammates.

“I’d be happy to fight him,†Eblen told Ariel Helwani. “We fight
each other for free. It's not that we're trying to take away from
each other. We’re just competitors. Even when we spar, we spar
hard. It’s not easy rounds, man. We spar with big gloves because
we’re trying to crack each other. Obviously, if someone gets dazed
a little bit, we’re not trying to go in for the kill because we’re
training. But it’s just competition, man. I grew up competing
against my friends my whole life. I started wrestling from the age
of four and you wrestle your teammates all the time.â€

A welterweight
title fight headlines PFL Washington DC: Tune on Saturday, July 25
at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Eblen (18-1) knocked out Impa
Kasanganay en route to a third-round finish to win the interim
PFL middleweight title in Austin, Texas. Strickland (31-7) had
flown to Florida to help Eblen in camp at the
American Top Team.

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Darren Till puts 'f*cking potato' Daniel Cormier on blast for defending Usman Nurmagomedov: "Stop commentating and go be an ambassador for fat camp"

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Darren Till puts 'f*cking potato' Daniel Cormier on blast for defending Usman Nurmagomedov: "Stop commentating and go be an ambassador for fat camp"

Darren Till is none too pleased over Daniel Cormier's reaction to Usman Nurmagomedov's antics at UFC Shanghai.

Nurmagomedov was in his brother Umar's corner for the main event this past Saturday. Umar went one-on-one with Song Yadong. While Umar had some control with his grappling in the opening frame, Yadong scrambled back to his feet. Disaster struck Umar in the second stanza.

Yadong clipped Umar with an uppercut, followed up ground punches to knock his opponent out cold. Nurmagomedov immediately rushed the Octagon to check on his brother. As Yadong was celebrating, he nearly ran into the PFL Lightweight Champion. Some believe it looked as if Nurmagomedov was ready to throw an elbow at Yadong, but he denies thinking about a cheap shot.

In the aftermath of the post-fight actions, Cormier defended Nurmagomedov and said he deserved grace despite rushing the Octagon when he shouldn't have. Many fans criticized Cormier and believe the comments reflect his bias towards Nurmagomedov's team.

Till agrees, and he launched a rant aimed at the UFC Hall of Famer on his X page.

“Why is DC always on the defensive of the [Nurmagomedovs]? Baffles me? You as a company man should [know] he shouldn't have stormed the octagon like that. The guy is celebrating his big knockout against a huge name. [But] somehow you have found a way to defend him you little potato head. Why why why? I am going to be honest as much as I think you are one of the best fighters ever in the UFC. The way you are as a company man and he views are f*cking shit Stop commentating and go and be an ambassador for fat camp you f*cking potato man constantly finding excuses for that side. You little potato.â€

Nurmagomedov is widely considered to be the top free agent in MMA currently. He fought out of his PFL deal after knocking out Archie Colgan to successfully retain the 155-pound gold. While some feel Nurmagomedov would be wise to make the jump, he hasn't made a decision at this time.

Do you agree with Darren Till's rant aimed at Daniel Cormier, or was it a bit over the top? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Dan Hooker explains why he's taken a 'risk' by fighting against Salahdine Parnasse

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Dan Hooker explains why he's taken a 'risk' by fighting against Salahdine Parnasse

UFC veteran Dan Hooker has explained why he's open to taking risky fights ahead of his UFC Paris main event against Salahdine Parnasse.

This weekend at UFC Paris, Dan Hooker will attempt to make a real statement when he welcomes newcomer Salahdine Parnasse to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. ‘Hangman' has been in there against some of the best of his generation, and now he's ready to try to prove that he still belongs near the top of the lightweight division.

RELATED: Dan Hooker details ‘death threats' received from Salahdine Parnasse's fans since UFC Paris announcement

Parnasse, of course, will view a Dan Hooker fight as an excellent way to immediately announce himself as a legitimate contender at 155 pounds. Whether or not that happens, though, depends entirely on how he can handle the pressure of the spotlight.

In a recent interview, Hooker spoke about his thought process behind taking risky fights.

Dan Hooker talks taking risky fights

“It's the same thing as when I fought Chandler. It's the same thing with this Parnasse guy,†Hooker told Submission Radio. “It'll be the same thing with Usman. No one else will take the fight. … You think Ilia Topuria's going to take that risk of fighting an unranked non-UFC fighter? No one else wants to take the risk.

“It's the same reason why I was the guy to fight Chandler. It's the same reason why they're paying me money to fight Parnasse is because none of these other guys in the division want to risk it for the biscuit. So they call up Dan Hooker, they offer him a bit of danger money, and he welcomes these boys to the big leagues.â€

Hooker then specifically spoke about a possible showdown with Usman Nurmagomedov.

“That would be the exciting thing for me with that fight is you would get another chance to step in there and go up against a legacy,†Hooker said. “Going to a guy's hometown and ruining his debut, that puts a little fuzzy feeling in my stomach.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

What is your favorite memory from Dan Hooker's mixed martial arts career thus far? Let us know in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Vitor Petrino fires back at Valter Walker: ‘That guy is a clown’

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Vitor Petrino fires back at Valter Walker: ‘That guy is a clown’
Vitor
Petrino isn't letting Valter
Walker’s latest jab go unanswered.

Petrino (15-2) extended his win streak to four with a unanimous
decision over Serghei
Spivac on Aug. 22 to further ascend the heavyweight rankings.
Walker (16-1), who's also among the top-ranked heavyweights in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship, took a shot at Petrino on
social media by posting a photo from his recent fight, labeling it
boring.

Petrino has now fired back.

Vitor Petrino says he has repeatedly asked the UFC to book
Valter Walker

In a recent interview with Sherdog’s Marcelo Alonso, Petrino
responded to Walker's comments about his fight with Spivac,
claiming that he's campaigned for a matchup against the grappling
specialist many times, to no avail.

“That guy is a clown. Nobody respects him. I don't even want to
talk about him much,†Petrino said. “I've asked for that fight
several times and I don't know why the UFC hasn't made it
happen.â€

Petrino’s interest in the matchup isn't new. His coach, Cristiano
Marcello,
previously told Sherdog that Petrino had accepted a challenge
from Walker.

“Unlike him, who has already said he's not interested in fighting
the top guys, I like challenging myself,†Petrino said, taking
another shot at his countryman. “I'll fight anyone in the Top 10. I
love to challenge myself.â€

Walker is on a five-fight win streak, with all five wins coming via
leg-based submissions, including four heel hooks.

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