Former Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen is ready to get back to work and he faces UFC veteran Bryan Battle in the main event of the upcoming PFL card headed to Pittsburgh on March 28.
PFL announced the news Tuesday.
The event takes place at UPMC Events Center with the card airing live on ESPN2 and the ESPN Unlimited streaming service. Tickets go on sale Jan. 29.
The fight serves as Eblen’s first appearance since a shocking upset loss to Costello van Steenis this past July that cost him the
chance to become the first ever undisputed PFL middleweight champion. Eblen was submitted by van Steenis with just seven seconds left in the final round in what was the first defeat of his career.
Now, the American Top Team product returns to action with hopes that a win could put him back in the title race at 185 pounds.
Meanwhile, Battle makes his PFL debut after going on an impressive 7-1 run (with one no-contest) in the UFC after competing on The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Unfortunately for Battle, he missed weight (his third time doing so in the UFC) for a scheduled fight against Nursulton Ruziboev in August 2025 and was subsequently released.
Battle promptly signed with Dirty Boxing where he picked up a pair of knockout wins while also inking a deal to join the PFL roster. He now seeks to get his PFL career started against a former champion in Eblen when they meet in March.
In the co-main event, recent PFL tournament finalist Dalton Rosta returns to action when he faces former champion Impa Kasanganay in a middleweight bout.
Rosta, who also trains out of American Top Team, fell to Fabian Edwards in the finals of the PFL middleweight tournament. Prior to that loss, he started his career with an 11-1 record including wins over Aaron Jeffrey, Sadibou Sy and Norbert Novenyi Jr.
As for Kasanganay, the UFC veteran went on an impressive run after joining the PFL roster, which included his season-winning performance at light heavyweight in 2023. After dropping a razor-close decision to Eblen in early 2024, he scored wins in his next three fights before falling to Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in the tournament finals.
A second loss followed, but Kasanganay got back on track with a win over fellow UFC veteran Andrew Sanchez in his most recent outing.
The card serves as the first ever PFL event in Pittsburgh after the promotion started the year with a pair of international cards scheduled in Dubai and Spain.
