Fabian Edwards produced the biggest moment of his career at PFL 10, delivering a stunning head kick knockout against Dalton Rosta that instantly drew comparisons to his brother Leon Edwards’ famous finish over Kamaru Usman.
The knockout crowned Fabian as the PFL middleweight tournament champion, completing his redemption arc and placing the Edwards name firmly at the center of MMA history once again.
The main event started with Edwards working inside leg kicks to set the tone, but Rosta responded with pressure and takedowns that gave him the early edge. The fight turned in the third round when Edwards unleashed the head kick that Rosta never saw coming.
The strike landed flush, sending Rosta crashing to the canvas where he lay motionless before regaining his feet. The official stoppage came at 1:28 of the round, giving Edwards the knockout win and the $500,000 tournament prize.
Leon Edwards was cageside and immediately rushed into the cage to celebrate with his brother. The moment carried extra weight, as Fabian’s knockout came almost exactly three years to the day after Leon’s iconic head kick that won him the UFC welterweight title. Fabian’s finish came on August 21, 2025, sealing the family’s reputation for dramatic, fight-ending head shots.
“That is team headshot dead,” Fabian Edwards said after the victory. “I’m so grateful. Last year in October, I lost the championship fight to Johnny Eblen. Twelve months on, I’m the PFL champ.”
Edwards entered the PFL tournament with a chip on his shoulder, eager to rebound from his two losses to Eblen. He delivered with a knockout win over former PFL champion Impa Kasanganay in the opening round and followed it up by defeating Josh Silveira to punch his ticket to the finals. Against Rosta, he had to battle through adversity in the early rounds but showed composure before landing the head kick that instantly changed the fight.
Following the victory, Edwards locked eyes with new PFL middleweight champion Costello van Steenis, who upset Johnny Eblen earlier in the year. Van Steenis already holds a split-decision win over Edwards from 2020, and now the two are on a collision course for a rematch, this time with the unified PFL middleweight title on the line.
The PFL 10 card also crowned other champions. Oleg Popov edged Alexander Romanov in a sluggish heavyweight final, relying on leg kicks to earn a split decision and take home the $500,000 prize. In the light heavyweight tournament, Antonio Carlos Jr. overcame a wild fight with Sullivan Cauley to score a second-round rear-naked choke submission after multiple knockdowns and furious exchanges.
The night, however, belonged to Fabian Edwards. With the pressure of family legacy and his brother watching from cageside, Edwards delivered a knockout that mirrored one of the most iconic moments in MMA history. It was not just a tournament win — it was a statement that Fabian Edwards is carving his own place in the sport while carrying the Edwards name forward.
PFL Card
Fabian Edwards def. Dalton Rosta via round three knockout (head kick)
Oleg Popov def. Alexander Romanov via split decision
Antonio Carlos Jr. def. Sullivan Cauley via round two submission (rear-naked choke)
Alexei Pergande def. Ethan Goss via round one submission (D’arce choke)
Lazaro Dayron def. Bryce Meredith via round three TKO (punches)
Impa Kasanganay def. Andrew Sanchez via round three TKO (punches)
Rasul Magomedov def. Guilherme Viana via unanimous decision
Sergey Bilostenniy def. Karl Williams via round two TKO (punches)
Josh Silveira def. Murad Ramazanov
J.P. Saint Louis def. Tyler Ray via unanimous decision
