Van Steenis Denies Edwards With Elbows as Madrid Gets Its PFL Moment
Costello van Steenis retained the PFL middleweight world championship by knocking out Fabian Edwards at 1:48 of round three on March 20, 2026. The title rematch headlined the promotion’s first event in Spain at Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid.
The decisive action
Edwards entered the meeting as the winner of the 2025 PFL middleweight tournament. Van Steenis held the divisional world title, giving their rematch a distinction between tournament success and the championship being defended on the night.
The challenger’s attempt to add that belt ended before the five-round distance. Van Steenis’s elbows supplied the finish, keeping the championship with the defending titleholder and settling the main event without a judges’ decision.
What the result means
Elsewhere on the card, A.J. McKee defeated Adam Borics unanimously, with scores of 30–27, 30–27 and 29–28. Gino van Steenis also won inside the distance, knocking out Mark Ewen in the opening round and giving the brothers a pair of finishes on the same program.
The Madrid event therefore combined a new host market with a completed championship defense and established international names. Edwards’s tournament achievement remained part of his record, but it did not translate into victory against the reigning champion. Van Steenis left the Spanish capital with the belt and another decisive result in their rivalry, closing the promotion’s local debut through a third-round finish rather than a prolonged championship-round examination.
Sources
- pflmma.com: costello vansteenis
- sherdog.com: Professional Fighters League PFL Madrid Van Steenis vs Edwards 2 110863
- mmafighting.com: pfl
Article Tags
Costello van Steenis, Fabian Edwards, PFL, PFL, MMA
