Overview
- PFL announced Friday that middleweight champion Costello van Steenis is out of the July 18 rematch with Johnny Eblen because of an undisclosed training injury.
- Johnny Eblen will now rematch Impa Kasanganay for the interim PFL Middleweight World Title as the new main event at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, with the card to air on ESPN2 and Sergio Pettis vs. Lewis McGrillen set as co‑main.
- The scheduled van Steenis–Eblen rematch had been billed as 'validation vs. redemption' after van Steenis stunned Eblen with a last‑second submission to win the title in 2025.
- Kasanganay arrives on a two‑fight winning streak and previously lost a contentious split decision to Eblen at the 2024 PFL vs. Bellator event, making the July rematch both a chance for revenge and for Kasanganay to claim middleweight gold.
- PFL created the interim belt to maintain a championship stake on the Austin card and has not provided a timeline for van Steenis’s return, which means the interim champion will likely need to face van Steenis in a unification bout if the champion becomes healthy.