Eblen rematches Kasanganay for interim PFL middleweight title after van Steenis injury

Johnny Eblen (17-1) will fight Impa Kasanganay (20-6) for the interim PFL middleweight title at PFL Austin on July 18, after champion Costello van Steenis was ruled out with an injury. The card takes place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

The rematch carries significant personal weight for Eblen. The former Bellator MMA champion had been seeking revenge against van Steenis for the one loss on his record — a last-second rear-naked choke that rendered him unconscious despite Eblen leading on two scorecards at the time. He returned to winning ways in March, submitting Bryan Battle with a face crank in just over four minutes.

Kasanganay, the 2023 PFL light heavyweight tournament champion, moved back down to middleweight last year and entered PFL’s 185-pound bracket. Although Fabian Edwards eliminated him from that competition, he has since won back-to-back bouts at the weight class, defeating Andrew Sanchez and Dalton Rosta. His previous meeting with Eblen came at the 2024 PFL vs. Bellator crossover event, where he challenged Eblen as the reigning 205-pound tournament champion and dropped a contentious split decision.

The interim belt will now serve as the evening’s headline contest, with the full PFL Austin card currently listed as follows:

Johnny Eblen vs. Impa Kasanganay — interim middleweight title

Sergio Pettis vs. Lewis McGrillen-Evans — bantamweight

Sergio Cossio vs. Kolton Englund — lightweight

Andrea Vazquez vs. Aleksandra Savicheva — women’s flyweight