PFL vs. Bellator — Johnny Eblen and Impa Kasanganay show potential of what PFL’s future could be،
Impa Kasanganay is three months away from winning the 2023 PFL season as a light heavyweight. He now cuts weight to face Bellator MMA middleweight champion Johnny Eblen on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hoping a victory could strengthen his case for a possible shot at heavyweight Francis Ngannou . And oh, by the way, he hasn't completely given up on his welterweight aspirations either.
“I don’t even consider weight classes,” Kasanganay told ESPN. “I'm not trying to be the best middleweight or light heavyweight in the world. I'm focused on being the best fighter I can be. Whether it's at 170 pounds or 265 pounds, it's just a different form of discipline.”
Thanks to PFL's acquisition of Bellator MMA late last year, there are plenty of opportunities for fighters looking to think outside the box. The PFL will continue to operate both leagues for the time being, but is eager to mix up rosters. Saturday's PFL vs. Bellator event will feature several champion vs. champion matchups, and a handful of Bellator athletes will compete in the 2024 PFL season.
Arguably no fighter on either team is looking for more opportunities in any division than Kasanganay (15-3), who has already proven himself to be a chameleon when it comes to weight. He fought at the welterweight limit of 170 pounds in the UFC as recently as 2021. He won last year's PFL tournament at 205 pounds without making weight, and is expected to comfortably make 185 books this week. At his heaviest, he said, he weighed 245.
Immediately after beating Joshua Silveira in the PFL final in November, Kasanganay called out Ngannou, a PFL heavyweight, former UFC champion and now professional boxer. It wasn't exactly a traditional announcement. At the moment, no one would put Kasanganay on a shortlist of potential Ngannou opponents. But Kasanganay, whose family is originally from Africa, sees a clear path to this fight.
“Some said [the callout] “It was wrong, but it’s something I pray for and work for,” Kasanganay said. “I was the first person in my family to be born outside Congo. The PFL wants to recreate'[The] Rumble in the Jungle' in Africa. My parents are from Kinshasa, the same city where this fight took place. It would be a great story.
“I plan to keep talking about this fight, keep it in people's minds and take care of business. The deal right now is Johnny Eblen. Then he is about winning the PFL season again as a light heavyweight. Then maybe a move to heavyweight. If Francis needs more time, no problem, I'll fight [former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion] Vadim Nemkov. Give me the challenges that stand in the way of this fight. That's what I want.”
Two-time Bellator titleholder, Eblen (14-0) represents much more than an obstacle in Kasanganay's quest for Ngannou. Some believe Eblen, a former NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler at the University of Missouri, is already the No. 1 middleweight in the world – ahead of UFC counterparts Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
It's difficult for a non-UFC fighter to break into the “best in the world” conversations, but Eblen did it with dominant performances and a well-rounded skill set. He comes from a wrestling background, but the rest of his game, which he honed in a world-class atmosphere with American Top Team (ATT), is very well developed.
“I think it’s my consistency and the fact that I can do anything,” Eblen said of his high middleweight ranking. “In the UFC, the belt has changed hands and every champion is pretty good at one aspect of the game. So I think it's my consistent performance and I've been impressive in all facets.”
Eblen signed with Bellator after his fourth professional fight, thanks in large part to his close relationship with former Strikeforce champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. Lawal is now a coach at ATT and encouraged Eblen to sign with Bellator because the promotion not only really wanted him, but paid him well. As Eblen's success grew, Bellator regularly renegotiated his contract to keep him under their banner.
The PFL's acquisition of the Bellator team was perfect timing for Eblen, who took the belt from Gegard Mousasi in 2022 and landed title defenses against Anatoly Tokov and Fabian Edwards, both in 2023. He admits that his options at Bellator, where he has been fighting since 2019, were starting to become clearer – so facing a 2023 PFL champion from a different weight class in a new pay-per-view product for the PFL was a welcome opportunity.
“There aren't really a lot of interesting matchups in Bellator, other than the guys I've fought before,” Eblen said. “It kind of sucks, but it is what it is, and I understand the sport and the nature of MMA. These organizations don't want to cross-promote. But now we can cross-promote in a sense, and I'm happy to be a part of it, because I feel like I've already fought the who's who of my weight class in Bellator.”
Rumors surrounding PFL's impending acquisition of Bellator were a big topic for MMA in 2023. Now that the deal is finalized, a major topic in 2024 will be its impact on the industry and some of the major players involved. Every athlete on Saturday's card has more options this year than 12 months ago. Some of the biggest names to watch this weekend include PFL's Renan Ferreira and Clay Collard and Bellator's Patricio Freire and Ryan Bader.
But with Eblen already poised to become a perceived middleweight superiority despite his exclusion from the UFC and Kasanganay's lofty ambitions to turn this new system into a vehicle toward Ngannou, the 185-pound co-main event is arguably the most intriguing match on the card.
“I love fighting Eblen. I think he deserved all the accolades,” Kasanganay said. “He's a pioneer who proved that you can be a great fighter outside of the UFC. I believe he did that…and I believe that's what I can do in this fight.”
