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The champ is here: Fresh off winning the Professional Fighters League middleweight title via a last-minute comeback, Costello van Steenis established himself as a true champion with a technical knockout of Fabian Edwards in the third round (1:48) on Friday at the Vistalegre Arena Palace in Madrid, Spain.
With his countrymen supporting him, van Steenis controlled the bout early at PFL Madrid and outstuck the dangerous Englishmen. As van Steenis (18-3, 3-0 PFL) established his leg kick, Edwards surprisingly looked to clinch and takedown the champion along the fence. With Edwards stuffed and van Steenis dropping his weight on top of his back, the Spaniard dropped elbows to the side of The Assassin’s head until Edwards body went limp and was saved by referee Blake Grice.
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For Edwards the loss is devastating; van Steenis was the first fighter to beat Edwards nearly six years ago and revenge was on his mind. Edwards won the 2025 PFL middleweight tournament, but van Steenis has clearly established himself as the best middleweight in the PFL with wins over Edwards and former champion Johnny Eblen.
A.J. McKee is one of the top talents in the PFL and once again proved his class with a clear decision win over savvy veteran Adam Borics (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). McKee (24-2, 3-1 PFL) calmly stayed on the outside and punished Boric’s lead leg with kicks. As Borics stepped in, McKee would step off line and force “The Kid” to reestablish his footing. McKee was slowed a bit after injuring his toe at the end of the first round, but the former Bellator MMA featherweight champion still had enough in the tank to outclass Borics (20-4, 2-2) on the cards. With the win, McKee put himself in line for a shot at the vacant featherweight title.
Former Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship king Franco Tenaglia notched a win in his PFL debut after submission specialist Yassin Najid was unable to answer the bell before the third round. Najid (9-7, 0-2 PFL) countered Tenaglia’s aggression early and made the most of his positions on the ground. One round in, and it was clear that despite being the underdog, Najid was there to fight. Tenaglia (6-2, 1-0 PFL) obliged and ground Najid down to paste during the second round. Intense pressure and punishment kept Najid on the canvas, fighting for space. As the round came to a close, Najid stumbled back to the corner with a dislocated shoulder and an exhausted look on his face. The fight was stopped between rounds due to the injury, which had Najid sporting an obviously disfigured shoulder region.
Jacinta Austin left fans stunned in her PFL debut after knocking Benita van Rooij senseless in the first round of their flyweight feud (2:40). Austin (8-2, 1-0 PFL) has a diverse striking background, having competed in boxing and K-1 kickboxing. She showed off her skillset early against the skilled grappler by flowing in and out of range and peppering her with hard shots. Austin would finally put van Rooij (7-2, 0-1 PFL) away with a right hand counter on the money , and it wouldn’t take long for referee Bryan Miner to call off the onslaught.
Linton Vassell made light work of Jose Augusto en route to a second round finish (2:48). The English heavyweight hadn’t been seen in the PFL Smartcage since 2024 and looked rusty in the first round, but quickly picked things up heading into the second. “Big Swarm” drew Augusto’s fire and countered with a double leg that left the Brazilian on his back. Vassell transitioned into full mount and pressed to secure an arm triangle, but Augusto (11-6, 0-1 PFL) was determined to not be submitted. Seeing the opportunity to punish his prey with punches, Vassell rained down shots on the flattened out foe until referee Grice intervened. Vassell (26-10, 2-2 PFL) proved that at 42, he’s still amongst the best heavyweights on the PFL roster.
Luciano Pereira exploded on the PFL stage with an electrifying first-round knockout over Kevin Cordero (2:10). At 25, Pereira has already notched 10 knockouts on his ledger, and it’s easy to understand why he could be a player in the PFL bantamweight picture. From the opening bell, Pereira (15-1, 1-0 PFL) threw with bad intentions. Coredero walked into range with his head on the center line, and Pereira made him pay with a pair of hooks to the temple, laying Cordero (15-6, 0-1 PFL) out flat on the canvas.
Borja Garcia Heres edged out Rafael Calderon (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in flyweight action. In a battle between promotional debutants, Calderon and Garcia struggled to figure each other out, and the fight was primarily a struggle for positioning. Calderon outgrappled Garcia in the opening round, but Garcia clinched his way back into the fight by keeping Calderon limited along the cage. Garcia worked hard to keep his weight on Calderon’s back, but never pressed the action, electing to spam kicks to the back of the calf. Neither man was impressive, but with the win, Garcia (7-2, 1-0 PFL) picked up his second straight win and first in the major leagues.
Gino van Steenis was thrilled to fight on the undercard of his older brother’s world title fight and he made the most of the opportunity. Matched against dangerous lightweight Mark Ewen, van Steenis brought the fans out of their seats with a devastating first-round knockout (2:43). Ewen (7-3, 2-3 PFL) is known to be an aggressive starter, van but Steenis (8-2, 2-1 PFL) made him pay with a perfectly-timed right hand over Ewen’s jab midway through the round. The Scot hit the canvas and was at van Steenis’ mercy until referee Grice was forced to intervene.
Spanish featherweight Mattia Giordano had his hands full early with the hard-charging Ernesto Schisano, but showcased excellent movement and fluid striking en route to the decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Schisano (5-2, 0-1 PFL) came into his PFL debut off a brutal first-round TKO and pressed the lanky Giordano from the start. Giordano used his height, reach and lateral movement to float around the cage and fight in spurts, picking apart Schisano’s high guard. As the fight wore on, Giordano (5-2, 1-0 PFL) separated himself with volume and accuracy. With the win, Girodano notched his third-straight win.
Claudio Pacella was on the short end of a split decision loss in his last fight, but dominantly took the win Friday against David Mora in 165-pound catchweight action. Pacella mauled and bullied Mora (10-7, 0-1 PFL), limiting the PFL debutant’s offense and forcing him to carry his weight all fight. Pacella (7-3, 4-2 PFL) would’ve loved to press for the finish, but settled for a lopsided decision win (30-27, 30-26, 30-27).
Spain’s Nacho Campos defended home soil with a hard-fought unanimous decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Mathys Duragrin in the opening bout. Campos (7-2, 1-1 PFL) opened the catchweight match with a dominant first round. He ragdolled the Frenchman, pursued submissions, and nearly finished Duragrin with a gut-wrenching knee to the body. Duragrin (4-3, 0-2 PFL) displayed his heart and fought his way back into the contest, but Campos was too strong. The win puts Campos back in the win column after suffering a knockout loss in his last outing. Duragrin dropped his third straight.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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