Van Steenis vows to smash Eblen in rematch, warns loss to Impa ends rivalry

PFL middleweight champion Costello van Steenis has fired a pointed message at Johnny Eblen ahead of a potential rematch, declaring he will "smash" the unbeaten American when they meet again — while warning that a loss to Impa would render Eblen irrelevant to him entirely.

Van Steenis, 33, fights out of Spain and carries a record of 16-3-0 into his current reign as PFL champion. Standing six-foot-one with a 77-inch reach, he is an aggressive finisher who averages 1.58 submission attempts per 15 minutes and has posted a 50 percent striking accuracy rate. His callout of Eblen signals confidence that he views the matchup as unfinished business worth pursuing — but only if Eblen holds up his end.

The target of that warning, Johnny Eblen, remains one of the most pristine records in middleweight mixed martial arts. The 34-year-old American is a perfect 16-0-0, standing six-foot-one with a 74-inch reach. Eblen is a relentless pressure fighter in every sense, averaging a striking accuracy rate of 63.4 percent and landing 12.3 significant strikes per minute — numbers that reflect both his volume and his precision. He has no submission attempts on record, leaning almost exclusively on his striking and forward pressure to break opponents.

Why it matters

• Van Steenis holds PFL gold, meaning a rematch would carry championship stakes at 185 pounds.
• Eblen's 16-0-0 record makes him one of the most compelling contenders in the division, but van Steenis is signaling that record means nothing without a win over Impa.
• The contrasting styles — van Steenis as a submission threat, Eblen as a high-volume striker with elite accuracy — set up a genuinely intriguing stylistic clash.
• The rivalry's future hinges entirely on Eblen's next result; van Steenis has made clear he has no interest in a faded or beaten version of his rival.