PFL Austin went down on July 18 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, featuring an interim PFL middleweight championship main event between former Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen and former PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay. Eblen defeated Kasanganay to become the interim PFL middleweight champion.
An inside elbow in the third round dropped Kasanganay and started the sequence that finished the fight. This gives Eblen the interim 185-pound title and earns him a rematch with Costello Van Steenis.
Eblen vs. Kasanganay result
Interim Middleweight Championship: Johnny Eblen def. Impa Kasanganay via TKO (Rd. 3, 2:39) — Eblen found success during the first round by getting inside and piecing up Kasanganay with inside elbows, opening up a cut on Kasanganay. Eblen then scored a knockdown on the former light heavyweight champion at the end of the round, finishing the round by landing multiple shots against the fence.
Kasanganay landed several overhands during round two, but Eblen continued to come forward and try to pressure Kasanganay to the fence. But Eblen ended things in the third when he landed a sharp elbow that dropped Kasanganay, following with a few more punches to solidify the TKO.
Co-main and main card results
Bantamweight: Rafael do Nascimento def. Lewis McGrillen via submission (rear-naked choke) (Rd. 2, 2:07) — Nascimento looked to attack the legs of McGrillen, picking the ankle in the first minute and looking for leg locks throughout the first round. McGrillen, however, got the better of Nascimento on the feet — and even counter-grappled to get to Nascimento’s back at one point. Nascimento, however, got to the back while standing in the second round, bringing McGrillen to the ground with a tight choke and scoring the submission.
Featherweight: Julio Arce def. Caolan Loughran via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) — After a competitive opening frame, Arce’s striking helped him find success, busting Loughran up on his face. Adding in grappling reversals, Arce easily handled Loughran en route to a decision victory.
Featherweight: Jesus Pinedo def. Joey Ruquet via TKO (Rd. 1, 4:50) — Ruquet was able to hold his own with Pinedo in a fairly quiet first round. But Pinedo picked things up late, landing a flurry that put Ruquet to the mat, covering up, ending the fight before the bell.
Prelim results
Lightweight: Gamid Khizriev def. Biaggio Ali Walsh via submission (Scottish twister) (Rd. 1, 2:32) — Khizriev got to work with his takedowns before locking Ali Walsh up in a Scottish twister. Ali Walsh appeared to suffer a leg injury, potentially a hip flexor issue, from the submission.
Women’s Flyweight: Aleksandra Savicheva def. Andrea Vazquez via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29) — Savicheva scored an early knockdown on Vazquez, controlling action well with her strikes in the first half of the fight. Vazquez came alive with her grappling in the third round, taking back control and looking for multiple submissions, but Savicheva still got the win, scoring the nod from two of the three judges.
Women’s Flyweight: Ashley Thiner def. Mia Grawe via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) — A close, competitive battle saw a strong second round from Grawe, especially with her takedown attempts. But Thiner’s striking was on point, particularly with kicks to the body and legs, as Thiner scored the decision in this battle of young unbeaten fighters.
Catchweight (150 lbs.): Jackson Glass def. Zak Flessas via TKO (Rd. 1, 0:47) — Jackson Glass moved to 4-0 in a highly successful PFL debut, rocking Flessas with an elbow before ending things with several strikes to a grounded Flessas, as well as a pair of soccer kicks to the back.
Women’s Flyweight: Victoria Alba def. Borena Tsertsvadze via TKO (Rd. 3, 4:50) — Alba’s striking wore down Tsertsvadze over the course of a nearly full 15 minutes. After working Tsertsvadze over with attacks to the body and legs, Alba landed a front kick that rocked her opponent, landing follow-up strikes for the last-second TKO.
What’s next
This ensures Eblen gets the chance to rematch with Van Steenis, who scored a last-second, comeback technical submission of Eblen last year in South Africa to become PFL middleweight champion.
