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Sergio Pettis vs. Lewis McGrillen Set to Feature in Co-Main Event<\/p>\n
PFL Austin Will Air Live in the U.S. on ESPN2 From 8 pm ET\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tickets Available Through Ticketmaster<\/p>\n
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NEW YORK (June 4, 2026)\u00a0\u2013 The Professional Fighters League (PFL) today announced that former Bellator Middleweight Champion\u00a0Johnny \u201cPressure\u201d Eblen\u00a0(17-1) and 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion\u00a0Impa \u201cTshilobo\u201d Kasanganay\u00a0(20-6) will compete for the Interim PFL Middleweight World Championship at\u00a0PFL Austin\u00a0on Saturday, July 18 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bout marks the first interim world title fight in PFL history after an injury forced reigning PFL Middleweight World Champion\u00a0Costello van Steenis\u00a0to withdraw from his title defense against Eblen. Eblen will now face Kasanganay in a rematch of their meeting at the historic\u00a0PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions\u00a0event, where Eblen earned a split decision victory.<\/p>\n
After falling short against van Steenis in their 2025 PFL Middleweight Championship bout, Eblen returned to the win column with a dominant first-round submission victory over Bryan Battle at\u00a0PFL Pittsburgh, earning his way back into championship contention.<\/p>\n
Winner of the 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament Championship, Kasanganay has established himself as one of the PFL\u2019s top stars, and is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Dalton Rosta. Now finding his groove back in his natural weight class, Kasanganay looks to add another title to his collection while also getting retribution against Eblen.<\/p>\n
Also on the card, two of PFL\u2019s best bantamweights battle with potential title implications at stake, as former Bellator Champion\u00a0Sergio Pettis\u00a0(25-8) meets 2024 PFL Europe Bantamweight Champion\u00a0Lewis McGrillen\u00a0(12-1).\u00a0Pettis has won two of his last three bouts, while McGrillen enters on a four-fight winning streak and owns a 92% finishing rate.<\/p>\n
Two preliminary bouts have also been added to the card. At lightweight, Mexico\u2019s\u00a0Sergio Cossio\u00a0(27-12-1) faces American\u00a0Kolton Englund\u00a0(15-5) and at women\u2019s flyweight,\u00a0Andrea Vazquez\u00a0of Mexico\u00a0(8-3) takes on Russian\u00a0Aleksandra Savicheva\u00a0(7-2).\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0PFL Austin\u00a0main card will air live on ESPN2 in the U.S. beginning at 8 pm ET. The preliminary portion will begin at 5 pm ET and can be seen on the ESPN app. Tickets for the event are available now through\u00a0Ticketmaster<\/a>.\u00a0Additional bouts will be announced shortly. \u00a0<\/p>\n Updated PFL Austin Main Card:
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Moody Center \u2013 Austin, Texas
July 18 | 8 p.m. ET \/ 5 p.m. PT
ESPN2 (U.S.)
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Interim PFL Middleweight World Championship Main Event:\u00a0Johnny Eblen\u00a0(17-1) vs.\u00a0Impa Kasanganay\u00a0(20-6)
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Bantamweight Co-Main Event:\u00a0Sergio Pettis\u00a0(25-8) vs.\u00a0Lewis McGrillen\u00a0(12-1)
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Preliminary Card:
Moody Center \u2013 Austin, Texas
July 18 | 5 p.m. ET \/ 2 p.m. PT
ESPN APP (U.S.)
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Lightweight Bout:\u00a0Sergio Cossio\u00a0(27-12-1) vs.\u00a0Kolton Englund\u00a0(15-5)\u00a0
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Women\u2019s Flyweight Bout:\u00a0Andrea Vazquez\u00a0(8-3) vs.\u00a0Aleksandra Savicheva\u00a0(7-2)\u00a0
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