Fabian Edwards thought he could wrestle and grapple his way to victory against Costello van Steenis at PFL Madrid on Friday.
In the end, his game plan cost him a world championship.
Edwards, brother of former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, was controlling van Steenis along the fence in the third round, winning positioning grappling battles but leaving himself open to damage from short elbows. The challenger dropped to one knee, a bodylock in place, chasing a takedown that simply didn’t appear to be forthcoming.
Not only was the takedown not to be found, but champ van Steenis now had an opening for downward elbows, smashing away repeatedly until Edwards slumped down onto the canvas.
The fight was a rematch of the pair’s September 2020 encounter at Bellator Milan, where van Steenis also saw his hand raised. That night was a split decision; on Friday, van Steenis left no doubt. Following the fight, which came at home in Spain (van Steenis is Dutch-Spanish), the 33-year old hollered “Viva España” the a roaring crowd in Madrid.
The win adds to the resume of “The Spaniard,” who became the first man to defeat Johnny Eblen to win the PFL middleweight title. Eblen returns to action next week, facing UFC vet Bryan Battle in the main event of PFL Pittsburgh. The winner has a good shot of meeting van Steenis next.
Friday’s PFL Madrid card kicks off a busy patch for the promotion, which is eschewing the tournament format this year. It also saw the return to A.J. McKee, with the former Bellator featherweight champion defeating Adam Borics by decision in the night’s co-main event. Heavyweight Linton Vassell was also successful Friday, notching a TKO finish against short-notice fill-in Jose Augusto.
Yet it was the van Steenis named that reigned supreme in Madrid, and not just Costello. On the night’s preliminary card, brother Gino van Steenis knocked out Mark Ewen with a perfectly placed right hand inside the opening round, for a very impressive highlight reel finish.
Official Result: Costello van Steenis (c) def. Fabian Edwards by knockout, Round 3, 1:48 – for the PFL middleweight championship