Johnny Eblen rips Costello van Steenis injury withdrawal

Johnny Eblen does not believe Costello van Steenis is hurt badly enough to pull out of their PFL Austin rematch.

Van Steenis withdrew from the July 18 main event at Moody Center, forcing Eblen to face Impa Kasanganay for the interim middleweight title instead. Eblen lost to van Steenis at PFL Africa 1 last July and had been counting on avenging that defeat before his opponent cited injury.

Eblen accuses van Steenis of ducking short-notice rematch

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Eblen suggested van Steenis simply wanted more preparation time rather than dealing with a legitimate injury. "I want to stay active, and he didn't want to fight [in] July," Eblen said. "He wanted to push it to later so, it is what it is."

Eblen went further when pressed on the withdrawal, calling van Steenis "a bitch" and noting the champion has continued training despite the reported injury. "From what I heard, I just did an interview, the dude looked at his Instagram," Eblen explained. "He's been training. So, whatever injury he had wasn't serious."

The former PFL champion pointed to his training partner Sean Strickland as proof that fighters routinely compete hurt. Strickland faced Khamzat Chimaev with a separated shoulder during fight week, Eblen noted, adding that he himself deals with nagging injuries constantly. "Guys aren't 100 percent healthy when they show up in the ring," he said.

Eblen will now look to claim interim gold against Kasanganay before revisiting the van Steenis rivalry later this year.

Original reporting:

• sherdog.com — Johnny Eblen blasts Costello van Steenis withdrawal before PFL Austin clash