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MMA

‘It’s going to be a banger’ – Dan Hardy previews Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards rematch

‘It’s going to be a banger’ – Dan Hardy previews Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards rematchPFL
The MMA analyst gave an exclusive breakdown and preview for DAZN.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - If there is one word to describe Saturday’s PFL Battle of the Giants card, it is stacked.

The event, which is being broadcast live on DAZN , will mark the return of Francis Ngannou to MMA after two years away from the sport, will be home to three title fights, and one of those is the Bellator middleweight championship rematch between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards.

Eblen and Edwards first fought in Dublin last year in a fight which sprung into life after Eblen suffered a deep cut towards the end of the second round.

This appeared to spur on Eblen who managed to stop his opponent in the third and retain his title.

Now the two will meet for a second time in Riyadh, and speaking exclusively to DAZN , PFL commentator Dan Hardy broke down what happened in the first fight and whether it will be a similar outcome in the rematch.

“I think they’re just going to pick up where they left off,” Hardy said.  

“I think Fabian was doing really well in the last fight. I thought he was defending takedowns well; it was almost like he understood the rhythm of Eblen’s game, and he had the tools to stop him doing it.

“As he cut him with that elbow, it was the turning point.

“It was then all about one of these guys taking the initiative.

“After Eblen’s corner managed to stop the bleeding, he must have felt like he needed to put his foot on the gas otherwise the doctor would have stopped it.

“Eblen showed his championship quality, normally he throws the right hand to a takedown, but this time he doubled it up and caught Fabian clean.

“I don’t think either of those guys lost a great deal from the first fight, disappointing for Fabian, he would have felt like he was doing really good things up to that point. I really think this rematch is going to be a banger.”

Since their first encounter, Eblen and Edwards have added over Impa Kasanganay and Aaron Jeffrey respectively.

Now the two will meet for Bellator gold once more in a contest which could steal the show.

Watch Ngannou vs. Ferreira on DAZN

Watch Francis Ngannou's return to the cage as he faces Renan Ferreira in the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants this Saturday on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

The card also features Cris Cyborg against Larissa Pacheco for the women's featherweight world title.

The PPV is priced at £19.99 for UK viewers to watch on any device, including Smart TV's, game consoles, phones, tablets and PC's. 

To purchase and find the prices in your region click here.

Purchasing the PPV includes a seven-day free trial of all of DAZN's programming across a range of sports.

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