Eblen and Kasanganay meet in main event at PFL Austin
Yahoo Sports • 3 min read • Latest: Jul 18, 2026, 9:38 PM
Last updated Jul 18, 2026
Johnny Eblen and Impa Kasanganay face off again in the main event of PFL Austin at the Moody Center, Austin, Texas, on July 18, 2026. This bout serves as a rematch for the PFL interim middleweight title, following Eblen's split decision victory over Kasanganay on February 24, 2024, during the PFL vs. Bellator: Champs event. Eblen has won four of his last five fights, while Kasanganay has clinched three wins in his past five outings. The co-main event features Lewis McGrillen against Rafael do Nascimento. Other fights on the card include Caolan Loughran vs. Julio Arce and Jesus Pinedo vs. Joey Ruquet, among others. Preliminaries are currently underway.
- •Eblen defeated Kasanganay via split decision in their last match.
- •Both fighters will contend for the PFL interim middleweight title.
- •The event takes place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
- •Preliminary matches have started ahead of the main card.
- •Eblen has a 4-1 record in his last five fights.
- 4:00 AMYahoo Sports — PFL Austin Results: Eblen KO’s Kasanganay, Wins Interim Title
- 2:23 AMYahoo Sports — PFL Austin: Johnny Eblen flattens Impa Kasanganay, sets up Costello van Steenis rematch
- 2:05 AMMMA Fighting — PFL Austin Results: Johnny Eblen finishes Impa Kasanganay to claim interim title
- 11:58 PMYahoo Sports — PFL Austin ‘Eblen vs. Kasanganay 2’ play-by-play, results & round scoring
- 9:38 PMYahoo Sports — LIVE! PFL Austin Results: Eblen vs. Kasanganay 2
"MOON TOWNSHIP, PA - MARCH 29: Johnny Eblen celebrates after fighting against Bryan Battle during PFL Pittsburgh at the UPMC Events Center on March 29, 2026 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images Johnny Eblen is once again a champion. On Saturday night, Eblen rematched Impa Kasanganay in the main event of PFL Austin, with the PFL interim middleweight title on the line. The last time the two fought Eblen barely scraped out a win. But this time, the former Bellator champion scored a much more definitive win, finishing Kasanganay in the third round. Eblen came out strong with, putting pressure on Kasanganay early. But Kasanganay battled back in the second round, repeatedly landing overhand rights to stymie Eblen, who simply kept marching forward. By the end of the second, Kasanganay was bleeding freely from a cut on his face, and Eblen was covered in his blood. JOHNNY EBLEN TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS WITH A BRUTAL FINISH 😱#PFLAustin | 📺 MAIN CARD LIVE NOW ON ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/aMXIk0bjFv — PFL (@PFLMMA) July 19, 2026 The third round was more of the same, with Eblen continuing to pressure, despite Kasanganay landing cleanly. Kasanganay hung tough against Eblen’s pressure, but, unable to keep him off, Eblen eventually found an elbow that hurt Kasanganay, leading to a nasty finish. After the bout, Eblen had strong words for undisputed champion Costello van Steenis, who handed Eblen his first career loss. The two were supposed to rematch at PFL Austin until van Steenis withdrew from the fight, and Eblen let him hear it in his post-fight speech. “Look at him! He’s standing! He’s here! Why aren’t we fighting?!” Van Steenis then came into the cage, and the two exchanged heated words, many of which were censored.
"Johnny Eblen is once again a champion after defeating Impa Kasanganay a second time last night (Sat., July 18, 2026) in the main even of PFL Austin live from inside Moody Center in Austin, Texas. In their first encounter two years ago, Eblen escaped Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with a razor-thin split decision win. This time […]
"Sherdog's live PFL Austin coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Sources
External links- Yahoo SportsJul 19, 2026, 4:00 AMPFL Austin Results: Eblen KO’s Kasanganay, Wins Interim Title
Johnny Eblen is once again a champion after defeating Impa Kasanganay a second time last night (Sat., July 18, 2026) in the main even of PFL Austin live from inside Moody Center in Austin, Texas. In their first encounter two years ago, Eblen escaped Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with a razor-thin split decision win. This time […]
- Yahoo SportsJul 19, 2026, 2:23 AMPFL Austin: Johnny Eblen flattens Impa Kasanganay, sets up Costello van Steenis rematch
Johnny Eblen brought the violence at PFL Austin.
- MMA FightingJul 19, 2026, 2:05 AMPFL Austin Results: Johnny Eblen finishes Impa Kasanganay to claim interim title
MOON TOWNSHIP, PA - MARCH 29: Johnny Eblen celebrates after fighting against Bryan Battle during PFL Pittsburgh at the UPMC Events Center on March 29, 2026 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images Johnny Eblen is once again a champion. On Saturday night, Eblen rematched Impa Kasanganay in the main event of PFL Austin, with the PFL interim middleweight title on the line. The last time the two fought Eblen barely scraped out a win. But this time, the former Bellator champion scored a much more definitive win, finishing Kasanganay in the third round. Eblen came out strong with, putting pressure on Kasanganay early. But Kasanganay battled back in the second round, repeatedly landing overhand rights to stymie Eblen, who simply kept marching forward. By the end of the second, Kasanganay was bleeding freely from a cut on his face, and Eblen was covered in his blood. JOHNNY EBLEN TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS WITH A BRUTAL FINISH 😱#PFLAustin | 📺 MAIN CARD LIVE NOW ON ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/aMXIk0bjFv — PFL (@PFLMMA) July 19, 2026 The third round was more of the same, with Eblen continuing to pressure, despite Kasanganay landing cleanly. Kasanganay hung tough against Eblen’s pressure, but, unable to keep him off, Eblen eventually found an elbow that hurt Kasanganay, leading to a nasty finish. After the bout, Eblen had strong words for undisputed champion Costello van Steenis, who handed Eblen his first career loss. The two were supposed to rematch at PFL Austin until van Steenis withdrew from the fight, and Eblen let him hear it in his post-fight speech. “Look at him! He’s standing! He’s here! Why aren’t we fighting?!” Van Steenis then came into the cage, and the two exchanged heated words, many of which were censored.
- Yahoo SportsJul 18, 2026, 11:58 PMPFL Austin ‘Eblen vs. Kasanganay 2’ play-by-play, results & round scoring
Sherdog's live PFL Austin coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
- Yahoo SportsJul 18, 2026, 9:38 PMLIVE! PFL Austin Results: Eblen vs. Kasanganay 2
Johnny Eblen, Impa Kasanganay meet again in PFL Austin main event
Original reporting and copyright belong to the linked sources. SportsNewsReport.com aggregates and links — it does not republish full articles.
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