Bryan Battle is oozing confidence ahead of his first main event.
Battle (12-2) meets former Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (16-1) at PFL Pittsburgh on March 28 at UPMC Events Center.
Season 29 “Ultimate Fighter” winner Battle left the UFC with a 7-1 record, and thinks he was on the cusp of big things before signing with PFL.
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“I think I was just getting there right at the end of my UFC run,” Battle told MMA Junkie Radio. “Because my season of ‘TUF,’ for the finale, they put the whole cast on the poster, and I haven’t been on any posters since.
“S,o last DBX fight was the first time I was on the poster, but I was also the co-main event, so this is really cool. I’m the big picture on the poster. I’m the main event. It’s a big card in Pittsburgh, you’ve got a big opponent – I couldn’t be happier right now.”
Although American Top Team’s Eblen is a former dominant champion who only just suffered his first-career loss in a come-from-behind submission to Costello van Steenis, Battle says he’s who everyone will be tuning in for.
“It’s been a long time since I haven’t been the A side,” Battle said. “Until I lose, I’m the A-side of every fight that I’m in. I’m the big draw. I’m the one people are tuning in to see. This time, it’s really nice that I have a good opponent. I have a good partner. I have a great dance partner, someone who people would go as far as saying is better than me, someone that people think is really able to beat me.
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“So that adds to the intrigue and the interest of it all, but at the end of the day, my fate is in my hands. Until I lose, I’m the A-side. Until I lose, I’m the one people are tuning in to see.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL Pittsburgh: Bryan Battle says he’s A-side in Johnny Eblen fight
