
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Born: Costello Van Steenis, Neatherlands
Nickname: The Spainard
Date of Birth: 1992
Weight: 184lb
Division: Middleweight
Pro MMA Record: 17-3-0
Early Life
Costello van Steenis, nicknamed “The Spaniard”, was born on July 26, 1992, in the Netherlands and moved with his family to Altea, Alicante, Spain, at the age of two . He grew up training across Spain and later in the Netherlands, forging his skills under coach Ricardo Wondel and alongside elite fighters at MMA Vlaardingen . Van Steenis earned his moniker from an early fight finish, a front kick head kick that reminded his trainer of a Spartan warrior, hence “The Spaniard”.
MMA Career
Costello van Steenis began his amateur MMA journey at 18 and turned professional in 2014 in Kerkrade, Netherlands, winning his debut by decision. He quickly established himself as a finisher, accumulating submissions and TKOs across regional promotions.
In 2017, he captured the PLMMA Middleweight title and earned a Bellator contract soon after . He debuted in Bellator with a first-round finish over Steve Skrzat at Bellator 185, showcasing his aggressive submission-oriented style. Over the following years, he tallied notable wins via submission and TKO, defeating opponents such as Kevin Fryer, Chris Honeycutt, Mike Shipman, and Kamil Oniszczuk.
Van Steenis suffered his first Bellator loss to Jake Bostwick in December 2015 via decision, followed by another decision defeat to John Salter at Bellator 233 in November 2019 . He rebounded with solid wins over Fabian Edwards (split decision) and Oniszczuk (submission) .
In May 2024, at Bellator Champions Series in Paris, van Steenis delivered a highlight‑reel submission victory over Gregory Babene via Von Flue choke in the second round. Later that year, he knocked out Joao Dantas with a head kick in under a minute at the PFL MENA Championship Nov 29, 2024 .
He earned a shot at the PFL Middleweight World Title, headlining the PFL Champions Series 2 event “Eblen vs. van Steenis” on July 19, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa. In a dramatic comeback, van Steenis submitted previously unbeaten Johnny Eblen with a rear‑naked choke in the final seconds of round five, becoming the first Spanish fighter to win a PFL world title.
MMA Record
W/L/D [NC] | RECORD AFTER FIGHT | OPPONENT | FIGHT LIBRARY |
W | 17-3-0 | Johnny Eblen | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKBEN13pf78 |
W | 16-3-0 | Joao Viktor Dantas | |
W | 15-3-0 | Gregory Babene | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qqOgwOZsQA |
L | 15-3-0 | Douglas Lima | |
W | 15-2-0 | Kamil Oniszczuk | |
W | 14-2-0 | Fabian Edwards | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPQ5zyvXZFs |
L | 13-2-0 | John Salter | |
W | 13-1-0 | Mike Sharpman | |
L | 12-1-0 | Chris Honeycutt | |
W | 11-1-0 | Kevin Fryer | |
W | 10-1-0 | Steve Skrzat | |
W | 9-1-0 | Marcin Naruszczka | |
W | 8-1-0 | Ronan McKay | |
L | 7-1-0 | Jake Bostwick | |
W | 6-0-0 | Avi Jack | |
W | 5-0-0 | Harry McLeman | |
W | 4-0-0 | Andy Mazolo | |
W | 3-0-0 | Maarten Wouters | |
W | 2-0-0 | Cenk Toplar | |
W | 1-0-0 | Andy Peters |