Battle Falls to Eblen in Pittsburgh Main Event
Johnny Eblen submitted Bryan Battle at 4:10 of the first round on March 28, 2026, at PFL Pittsburgh. The event at UPMC Events Center also featured Impa Kasanganay’s first-round knockout of Dalton Rosta, giving the middleweight headliners two decisive finishes.
Eblen rebounded while Battle made his promotional debut
The former Bellator champion entered after his first professional defeat against Costello van Steenis. Battle was making his first PFL appearance, creating an immediate high-level assignment in the middleweight division.
Eblen’s rear-naked choke moved him to 17–1. Kasanganay defeated local favorite Rosta at 3:18 of their first round, improving his own record to 20–6.
Three main-card decisions rewarded effective distance performances
Ariane Lipski da Silva defeated Sumiko Inaba unanimously, taking two cards 30–27 and the third 29–28. Alexei Pergande remained unbeaten by outpointing Julio Arce 29–28 across all three judges.
Lazaro Dayron also earned a unanimous decision over Jacob Thrall. His cards were 30–27, 29–28 and 30–27, completing the main card’s three fights that reached the scheduled distance.
The preliminary program combined quick finishes with close verdicts
Dakota Bush knocked out Robert Watley after thirty-four seconds, while Josh Fremd stopped Jarrah Al-Silawi at 3:57 of round three. Fred Dupras submitted Ethan Goss with a first-round guillotine at 2:46.
Jack Cartwright, Jakub Kaszuba, Ernesto Rodriguez and Tatiana Postarnakova also won on the cards. Eblen’s finishing return then closed the Pittsburgh debut with renewed momentum toward another championship opportunity.
Sources
- PFL: full official results and event background
- MMA Fighting: venue, championship context and preliminary results
