Costello van Steenis successfully defended his middleweight championship at PFL Madrid, delivering a stunning elbow knockout victory over Fabian Edwards in a highly anticipated main event.
The opening round saw a competitive back-and-forth, but van Steenis began to assert his dominance in the latter half. After effectively thwarting one of Edwards’ takedown attempts, van Steenis nearly secured a guillotine choke. Although Edwards managed to defend the submission, he was forced to concede top control to the reigning champion, giving van Steenis a clear advantage as the first five minutes concluded.
Edwards reverted to his grappling strategy in the second round, briefly getting van Steenis to the canvas. However, his success was short-lived. With just over two minutes remaining in the stanza, van Steenis expertly reversed the position, taking Edwards’ back and threatening with a rear-naked choke. Edwards showed resilience by surviving the round and even landed a late flurry, but the overwhelming offensive output from van Steenis solidified his lead, putting him up two rounds to none.
Despite his previous struggles with wrestling, Edwards continued to pursue takedowns in the third round. This persistent approach ultimately proved costly. During another takedown attempt, Edwards left his head dangerously exposed. Seizing the opportunity, van Steenis unleashed a devastating series of short elbows against the cage, ending the fight decisively as Edwards was knocked out cold.
Official Result: Costello van Steenis defeated Fabian Edwards via KO (elbows) at 1:48 of Round 3, retaining his PFL Middleweight Championship.