Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 18

Van Steenis Targets Q4 2026 Return After Injury Scraps July 18 PFL Austin Main Event

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 18

Van Steenis Targets Q4 2026 Return After Injury Scraps July 18 PFL Austin Main Event

Q: With the champion sidelined by a mystery injury, can Johnny Eblen reclaim his spot atop the middleweight division?

Yes. Johnny Eblen has a clear path to the top of the PFL middleweight division, but he has not fully reclaimed it unless he beats both Impa Kasanganay and, later, Costello van Steenis. Van Steenis’ withdrawal with a serious but undisclosed injury has turned Saturday’s Austin main event into the first interim title fight in PFL history. That gives Eblen, the division’s No. 1 contender and former Bellator champion, an immediate chance to reestablish himself by beating Kasanganay for the interim belt. The matchup favors Eblen on paper, though not without risk. He owns a 17-1 record, rebounded from his only career loss with a first-round submission of Bryan Battle in March, and already holds a split-decision win over Kasanganay from 2024. But that first fight was close, and Kasanganay enters on a two-fight winning streak with momentum and knockout power. The larger question is whether an interim title would truly restore Eblen’s standing. It would put him back at the front of the division and secure a unification bout, but van Steenis remains the undisputed champion. Their rivalry is unresolved after van Steenis handed Eblen his first professional defeat with a dramatic fifth-round submission in 2025. So Eblen can reclaim his place as the leading active contender tonight, and likely the division’s interim champion if he wins. To be unquestionably back on top, though, he still needs to avenge the loss to van Steenis in the expected unification fight later in 2026.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 18

Four weeks is Costello van Steenis’ target to be back at 100% after a “serious injury” forced him out of the July 18 PFL Austin headliner against Johnny Eblen.
The champion said the injury was severe enough that he could not ride a bike or walk stairs, and declined to disclose the exact medical issue.
Saturday’s main event now becomes Eblen vs. Impa Kasanganay for the interim title, with van Steenis planning a unification bout in the fourth quarter of 2026 against the winner.
Van Steenis, who beat Eblen previously, said he expects another close fight after Eblen’s 2024 split-decision win over Kasanganay and warned Eblen to “better win” before their rematch.