The Professional Fighters League has been forced to alter the middleweight title picture once again.
On Thursday, the PFL announced that former Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen will face former PFL light heavyweight tournament winner Impa Kasanganay for the interim PFL middleweight championship at PFL Austin on July 18 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
The interim title bout comes after reigning PFL middleweight champion Costello van Steenis was forced to withdraw from a scheduled championship defense against Eblen due to injury. The matchup marks the first interim championship fight in PFL history.
The contest will serve as a rematch between Eblen and Kasanganay, who previously met at the PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions event in February 2024. Eblen emerged victorious that night, earning a closely contested split decision win.
Eblen (17-1) enters the bout looking to reclaim championship momentum after suffering the lone defeat of his professional career against van Steenis in their 2025 PFL middleweight title clash. The American rebounded emphatically at PFL Pittsburgh, submitting Bryan Battle in the opening round to secure another opportunity to compete for gold.
Kasanganay (20-6) has been one of the PFL’s most successful fighters over the last several years. After capturing the 2023 PFL light heavyweight tournament championship, he established himself as one of the promotion’s biggest stars. Most recently, Kasanganay returned to the middleweight division and scored a first-round knockout victory over Dalton Rosta. He now has the chance to add a middleweight championship to his résumé while avenging his previous loss to Eblen.
The Austin card will also feature a pivotal bantamweight showdown between former Bellator champion Sergio Pettis and 2024 PFL Europe bantamweight champion Lewis McGrillen.
Pettis (25-8) has won two of his last three appearances and remains among the division’s most experienced contenders. McGrillen (12-1), meanwhile, enters the matchup riding a four-fight winning streak and has finished 11 of his 12 professional victories.
Two additional preliminary card bouts were announced as well. At lightweight, Sergio Cossio (27-12-1) will take on Kolton Englund (15-5), while Andrea Vazquez (8-3) faces Aleksandra Savicheva (7-2) in a women’s flyweight contest.
PFL Austin takes place on July 18 from the Moody Center in Austin and is headlined by the inaugural interim PFL middleweight championship bout between Eblen and Kasanganay.