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Professional Fighters League’s latest show has come and gone as the promotion’s “Summer Series” of events continued with PFL Austin.
Johnny Eblen claimed the PFL interim middleweight title with a third-round stoppage victory over Impa Kasanganay and will now have a future unification bout with reigning champion Costello van Steenis in one of the PFL’s most active and intriguing divisions.
Here are the matches to make following PFL Austin for four of the top winners:
It goes without saying that Eblen and van Steenis will meet next, as the title unification needs to happen, and the hype around this fight will be stellar. Both champions met inside the cage after Eblen’s victory and had a very heated exchange. In their first matchup, Eblen was controlling the majority of the fight until the final moments of the fifth round, when van Steenis turned the tide. As the final seconds were ticking away, van Steenis was able to secure a submission to take the title from Eblen and hand him the first loss of his professional career.
Do Nascimento came in on short notice to take on Lewis McGrillen-Evans, who had been scheduled to face veteran Sergio Pettis, and Nascimento made the most of his opportunity. Picking up a second-round submission, do Nascimento should continue to see himself getting tested by other contenders in the Top 10. Insert Khamidov. Coming off a win in June over 2025 bantamweight tournament finalist Justin Wetzell, Khamidov would be a fun and interesting test for do Nascimento, as long as the latter gets a chance to have a full training camp.
Arce came into Austin and defeated Caolan Loughran, who was making his second straight appearance in the featherweight division. Winning the fight by unanimous decision, Arce showed plenty of resiliency and toughness through all 15 minutes and made it clear that he wants to continue to rise in the division. He’d get the perfect chance to do so in taking on Isbulaev, who is looking to get back into the win column after dropping his last fight against A.J. McKee.
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Johnny Eblen claimed the PFL interim middleweight title with a third-round stoppage victory over Impa Kasanganay and will now have a future unification bout with reigning champion Costello van Steenis in one of the PFL’s most active and intriguing divisions.
Here are the matches to make following PFL Austin for four of the top winners:
Johnny Eblen vs. Costello van Steenis
It goes without saying that Eblen and van Steenis will meet next, as the title unification needs to happen, and the hype around this fight will be stellar. Both champions met inside the cage after Eblen’s victory and had a very heated exchange. In their first matchup, Eblen was controlling the majority of the fight until the final moments of the fifth round, when van Steenis turned the tide. As the final seconds were ticking away, van Steenis was able to secure a submission to take the title from Eblen and hand him the first loss of his professional career.
Rafael do Nascimento vs. Sarvarjon Khamidov
Do Nascimento came in on short notice to take on Lewis McGrillen-Evans, who had been scheduled to face veteran Sergio Pettis, and Nascimento made the most of his opportunity. Picking up a second-round submission, do Nascimento should continue to see himself getting tested by other contenders in the Top 10. Insert Khamidov. Coming off a win in June over 2025 bantamweight tournament finalist Justin Wetzell, Khamidov would be a fun and interesting test for do Nascimento, as long as the latter gets a chance to have a full training camp.
Julio Arce vs. Salamat Isbulaev
Arce came into Austin and defeated Caolan Loughran, who was making his second straight appearance in the featherweight division. Winning the fight by unanimous decision, Arce showed plenty of resiliency and toughness through all 15 minutes and made it clear that he wants to continue to rise in the division. He’d get the perfect chance to do so in taking on Isbulaev, who is looking to get back into the win column after dropping his last fight against A.J. McKee.
Continue reading...
