Austin’s Fast Finish Made Her PFL Debut Count
Jacinta Austin stopped Benita van Rooij at 2:40 of round one on March 20, 2026, at Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid. The Australian strawweight’s successful PFL debut supplied one of the main card’s early finishes during the promotion’s first Spanish event.
The matchup and early action
Austin represented Sydney and brought experience from other international promotions. Her recent record included a five-round split-decision victory over Valentina Escobar at UAE Warriors 55 in October 2024.
The Madrid assignment matched her with a Dutch opponent from Utrecht. Austin weighed 115.6 pounds, while van Rooij registered 115.4, placing both within the non-title strawweight allowance.
The decisive developments
The contest did not develop into a prolonged scoring battle. Austin put van Rooij down and followed with punches and hammerfists, producing the referee’s intervention before the opening round had reached its final two minutes.
The official result was a technical knockout at 2:40. Austin therefore began her PFL run with a finish rather than requiring the judges to compare three completed rounds.
What the result meant
The same main card featured a middleweight title defense by Costello van Steenis and A.J. McKee’s unanimous decision over Adam Borics. Franco Tenaglia and Linton Vassell also won inside the distance.
Austin’s performance gave the women’s strawweight division its own clear result on that international lineup. The victory connected her earlier experience in Australia and the Middle East with a successful first appearance on the PFL stage in Europe.
Sources
- MMA Fighting: matchup and result
- Sherdog: official weights and coverage
- Sherdog: career history
- Fighters Only: finish and complete card
