For Costello van Steenis, his first title defense opponent might have been a six of one, half-dozen of the other situation.
Van Steenis (17-3) will put his middleweight title on the line for the first time March 20 when he takes on Fabian Edwards (16-4) in a rematch of a 2020 Bellator fight that van Steenis won by split decision. That loss was the first of Edwards’ career.
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But if it wasn’t Edwards who got the shot, it almost certainly would have been Johnny Eblen (16-1), who appeared to be on his way to a decision win over van Steenis this past July in South Africa when he got caught in a rear-naked choke and submitted to lose the title and his unbeaten record with just nine seconds left.
Instead, Eblen is fighting Bryan Battle on March 28 in the PFL Pittsburgh main event, and Edwards and his three-fight winning streak get the shot at van Steenis – “The Spaniard” – in the PFL Madrid headliner.
Van Steenis thinks Edwards was the right call for the title shot – even if Eblen had a great case for a rematch of his own straight away.
“It definitely refreshes the division – I do like taking on a new opponent,” van Steenis told MMA Junkie Radio. “But I believe Johnny Eblen also would’ve had the chance to get the immediate rematch – definitely. He’s been an undefeated champ for many years, many fights, been a champion in Bellator and in PFL. It wouldn’t have been weird if he just had a straight rematch.
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“But this doesn’t change the fact it’s from him winning the tournament championship from 2025, so it does make (Edwards) the next in line to actually fight for the belt – even though it’s really crazy that a guy gets to fight three times for a world title. His brother’s famous, so that’s probably also why (he has the title shot).”
Edwards, the brother of former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, won the PFL’s 2025 middleweight tournament, conditions of which included a title shot.
Van Steenis was a heavy underdog against Eblen when he won the title. His rear-naked choke win over the 6-1 favored American won MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Year Award. But he seems content with how the MMA world judges him ahead of fight night.
He knows how he’ll perform once the cage door locks.
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“At this moment, I bet there are so many strong middleweights – and I’ll bet they’re better than me,” van Steenis said. “But line me up against them. For example, maybe Fabian Edwards is a better middleweight than I am any other day. But that day, 20th of March, I’m going to make sure I’m the best version of me in my life. … I believe I’m the best middleweight fighter in the world on that day.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Van Steenis: Edwards or Eblen, either fine for first PFL defense
