Costello van Steenis stops Fabian Edwards. The PFL made a strong statement in Madrid as fans witnessed an intense night of action capped by a dramatic main event as Costello van Steenis successfully defended his middleweight title with a brutal elbow knockout over Fabian Edwards.
Costello van Steenis came into this fight in strong form, riding a four-fight winning streak. He won the PFL middleweight title in July 2025 by submitting Johnny Eblen. Fabian Edwards, his opponent had solid momentum before now. In 2025, he won the PFL tournament with victories over Impa Kasanganay (TKO), Josh Silveira (decision), and Dalton Rosta (KO). However, he had struggled in some fights.
The fight started fast. Van Steenis came out aggressive, landing a solid right hand early and quickly closing the distance. He worked into a clinch and controlled the position with double under hooks.. Edwards had his moments too, landing a clean elbow on the break and shooting for a takedown. But he nearly got caught in a guillotine, and van Steenis ended the first round on top, showing control.
Round two started and Edwards adjusted his game plan and leaned more into grappling. He managed to get top position after van Steenis lost balance from a kick. From there, Edwards worked hard, even threatening to take the back at one point. But van Steenis stayed calm, defended well, and landed short punches. The round had some scrappy moments, but Edwards’ control gave him the edge.
Everything changed in round three. Edwards went back to wrestling, pushing van Steenis against the fence and hunting for a takedown. But that decision cost him. As Edwards held onto the body lock and dropped levels, van Steenis created space and started landing hard, downward elbows one after another, clean and brutal.
Edwards had no answer. The elbows kept coming until he collapsed to the canvas, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight.
In the co-main event, it was a highly anticipated featherweight fight between former Bellator champion AJ McKee and Adam Borics. McKee looked sharp in the first round, but dislocated his toe right at the end of the round. In the second round, Borics switched to a more counter-striking approach, and the fight got more active as it went on. McKee had the edge in the striking exchanges before pushing Borics against the cage in a pressure clinch but he was clearly limping as he walked back to his corner. McKee kept fighting through the injury in the third round and used his range very well. Borics needed to increase the pace but didn’t, and McKee took advantage with a clean takedown with just over two minutes left. He then shut down Borics’ final attempt and secured a unanimous decision win.
Check out full PFL Madrid results below.
Main card
Costello van Steenis def. Fabian Edwards via third-round knockout (1:49)
AJ McKee def. Adam Borics via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Franco Tenaglia def. Yassin Najid via second-round TKO (5:00)
Jacinta Austin def. Benita Van Roiij via first-round TKO (2:40)
Linton Vassell def. Jose Augusto via second-round TKO (2:48)
Prelims
Luciano Pereira def. Kevin Cordero via first-round KO (2:10)
Borja Garcia def. Rafael Calderon via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Gino van Steenis def. Mark Ewen via first-round KO (2:43)
Mattia Giordano def. Ernesto Schisano via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Claudio Pacella def. David Mora via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 30-26)
Ignacio Campos def. Mathys Duragrin via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
