NEW YORK (June 4, 2026) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) today announced that former Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny “Pressure” Eblen (17-1) and 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion Impa “Tshilobo” Kasanganay (20-6) will compete for the Interim PFL Middleweight World Championship at PFL Austin on Saturday, July 18 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
The bout marks the first interim world title fight in PFL history after an injury forced reigning PFL Middleweight World Champion Costello van Steenis to withdraw from his title defense against Eblen. Eblen will now face Kasanganay in a rematch of their meeting at the historic PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions event, where Eblen earned a split decision victory.
After falling short against van Steenis in their 2025 PFL Middleweight Championship bout, Eblen returned to the win column with a dominant first-round submission victory over Bryan Battle at PFL Pittsburgh, earning his way back into championship contention.
Winner of the 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament Championship, Kasanganay has established himself as one of the PFL’s top stars, and is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Dalton Rosta. Now finding his groove back in his natural weight class, Kasanganay looks to add another title to his collection while also getting retribution against Eblen.
Also on the card, two of PFL’s best bantamweights battle with potential title implications at stake, as former Bellator Champion Sergio Pettis (25-8) meets 2024 PFL Europe Bantamweight Champion Lewis McGrillen (12-1). Pettis has won two of his last three bouts, while McGrillen enters on a four-fight winning streak and owns a 92% finishing rate.
Two preliminary bouts have also been added to the card. At lightweight, Mexico’s Sergio Cossio (27-12-1) faces American Kolton Englund (15-5) and at women’s flyweight, Andrea Vazquez of Mexico (8-3) takes on Russian Aleksandra Savicheva (7-2).
The PFL Austin main card will air live on ESPN2 in the U.S. beginning at 8 pm ET. The preliminary portion will begin at 5 pm ET and can be seen on the ESPN app. Tickets for the event are available now through Ticketmaster. Additional bouts will be announced shortly.
Updated PFL Austin Main Card:
Moody Center – Austin, Texas
July 18 | 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
ESPN2 (U.S.)
Interim PFL Middleweight World Championship Main Event: Johnny Eblen (17-1) vs. Impa Kasanganay (20-6)
Bantamweight Co-Main Event: Sergio Pettis (25-8) vs. Lewis McGrillen (12-1)
Preliminary Card:
Moody Center – Austin, Texas
July 18 | 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
ESPN APP (U.S.)
Lightweight Bout: Sergio Cossio (27-12-1) vs. Kolton Englund (15-5)
Women’s Flyweight Bout: Andrea Vazquez (8-3) vs. Aleksandra Savicheva (7-2)
