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Eblen Defends Middleweight Crown With Unanimous Victory Over Tokov
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Saturday, after two close rounds, it looked like the Bellator MMA middleweight title was still up for grabs. That's when defending champion Johnny Eblen started to win with his gas tank and ragdoll moves.
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In his first defence of his 185-pound title, Eblen (13-0) worked Anatoly Tokov so hard that he was almost out of breath during the championship rounds.
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He won a unanimous decision in the co-main event of Bellator 290, which took place at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Eblen got scores of 50-45 and 49-46 from the judges (twice). CBS Sports also gave it to Eblen, 50-45.
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Eblen, 31, from American Top Team in south Florida, never let Tokov's counter jabs swell his right eye. He used calf kicks and well-timed takedowns to defeat Tokov late in Round 3.
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In the last rounds, Eblen completely dominated a tired Tokov. He ragdolled his opponent by taking him down over and over again without letting go of his grip. In the final round, Eblen sealed the win with a belly-to-back suplex.
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Edwards said, "As the fight goes on, I get better." "I just keep getting f—-ing better. I am the best at doing cardio."
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Tokov, who has a record of 31-3, lost his seventh fight in a row for Bellator. In the first few rounds, the Russian fighter from Team Fedor was able to stay in the fight by avoiding takedowns and landing the more technical counter punches.
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But once Eblen came back and knocked him out with a right hand late in Round 2, Tokov was never able to get back on track.
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Eblen, who is from Iowa and was a star wrestler at the University of Missouri, won his ninth fight in a row under the Bellator banner. This is the longest active winning streak in the promotion.
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Eblen said, "It looks like Mousasi and [Fabian] Edwards are going for it in May." "Give me the winner," he said.