"I'm getting better exponentially" - Bellator champion claims he's the best middleweight in the world

Bellator 290 was an excellent showcasing for some of the promotion's top fighters as well as a sendoff for one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.

Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen took advantage of the promotion's network debut on CBS and made a statement that he should be recognized and included in the discussion for the best middleweight in the world. During the post-fight press conference, Eblen mentioned that he believes he is the best 185-pounder in the world:

"I think I'm the best in the world now. How I'm trianing, how much I'm getting better exponentially, I think I'm the best in the world." [20:54 - 21:04]

'The Human Cheat Code' earned his first career title defense after defeating FedorTeam's Anatoly Tokov via a unanimous decision. He mentioned that he intends to clean out the middleweight division and then focus on super fights against the likes of Vadim Nemkov at 205 lbs:

"I'll do whatever. I don't give a sh*t...I am the best middleweight in the world. I'm going to clean out this division, then from there on we'll figure something out. I'll do superfights." [22:33 - 22:45]

Eblen has emerged as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on Bellator's roster. Like reigning light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov, he has earned more respect and many in the MMA community are taking notice.

Check out the full press conference:

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Who's next for Johnny Eblen's Bellator middleweight championship?

After earning his first title defense at Bellator 290, Johnny Eblen will now await who the promotion believes should challenge him next.

The promotion's middleweight division is developing quite nicely at the moment, and there are many different options for 'The Human Cheat Code.' A rematch against former champion Gegard Mousasi could be a possibility should the latter defeat Fabian Edwards on May 12.

Another possibility could be Aaron Jeffery, who quickly inserted himself in the middleweight title picture after defeating former title challenger and Eblen's American Top Team teammate Austin Vanderford in his promotional debut.

If the Canadian defeats John Salter next month in dominant fashion, Eblen could decide to fight sooner rather than wait for the winner of Mousasi-Edwards.