Johnny Eblen had a close call before his upcoming fight.
This Saturday, Eblen is set to face Impa Kasanganay in the co-main event of the PFL vs. Bellator event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, just before his big champ vs. champ showdown, Eblen almost got into a different kind of fight – this time with a prankster at his local Home Depot.
Eblen's manager, Brian Butler, shared a video on Monday that captured the prank by social media creator ImReddttv. Redd had previously pulled pranks that almost went wrong, including one with Jamahal Hill. This time, he approached Eblen while he was shopping with a female companion, hitting on the woman and insulting Eblen, nearly causing an unexpected altercation.
The 32-year-old, was shopping at a local Home Depot in Florida when a social media prankster named ImReddttv approached him and his lady friend, wearing the Apple Vision Pro. Things almost took a bad turn right away.
Redd confidently said, "I'll tell you right now, I'm pretty sure I can bag her," standing in front of the couple.
Johnny sensed something was off right away; he even spotted a guy discreetly holding a camera. Redd ignored the guy filming and continued the prank, saying, "What's up little man?" to the MMA champion.
He went on, saying, "Sweetheart, you need to be with a real big man like me," and asked Eblen if the woman was "his girl."
Johnny's patience ran out (he lasted longer than many would have), and he warned, "If you say something disrespectful I'll f*** you up!"
Eblen and the woman decided to walk away, with Redd following them. Johnny stopped and started walking toward the prankster, and it seemed like things were about to take a bad turn for the social media star.
Surprisingly, Redd then disclosed that he had been sent by Brian Butler-Au, Johnny's manager, to play a prank on the fighter. The tension instantly disappeared, and Johnny had a good laugh.
Ultimately, Eblen was a good sport about it, but noted on Instagram afterward that he was close to getting violent with Redd, also prompting the head of Eblen’s gym, American Top Team, to suggest these pranks stay stateside.
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Shortly after the prank, Johnny jumped on a jet and traveled across the world to Saudi Arabia. There, the Bellator middleweight champ is set to face PFL light heavyweight champ Impa Kasanganay on February 24 in Riyadh.