Las Vegas, NV — 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay, who returns atop the PFL 2 card this Friday in Las Vegas, has no problem with a busy schedule. He would, in fact, fight far more often if he could.
“I love to fight. If I could fight more, every weekend, I would. My body is just made to fight. It’s what I love to do.” Kasanganay (15-4) told Cageside Press during this week’s PFL 2 media day in Las Vegas. “Sign me up and I’ll be there. I don’t really care who it is, where it is, when it is.”
Kasanganay has fought once already in 2024, as part of the PFL vs. Bellator Champions card. In 2023, he fought five times after winning his way into the PFL via the Challenger Series.
“I’m looking forward to another five fight year, another title, and looking forward to the championship next year again,” he said of what lies ahead.
Of course, the start to Kasanganay’s year didn’t go quite as planned. He lost a close decision against Johnny Eblen, a decision Impa feels he won. Kasanganay isn’t about to take anything away from the Bellator champ, however, and would love to run it back, or do a trilogy. Even if it comes at 185lbs again, not 205, where Kasanganay reigns.
“I’d like to do it at 85 again, maybe we’ll do 85 for the third one, and then if he wants to do it at 205 or come into the season, or do another super-fight at 205, I’m glad to. We can fight 25 times for all I care, but I respect him because he’s one of the better fighters that I’ve fought in my life and in history, and that’s an honor.”
Last Friday, we spoke with Kasanganay in another one-on-one interview and got his reaction to being boosted into the main event of PFL 2, where he faces Bellator vet Alex Polizzi. The switch-up came when Phil Davis was forced to withdraw from his bout with Rob Wilkinson.
Impa Kasanganay vs. Alex Polizzi had been slotted as the co-headliner at PFL 2, but during Thursday’s PFL 1 broadcast, the broadcast mentioned in passing that Impa would headline.
“I heard that too. I wasn’t notified. Regardless, I’m like, god’s got a plan, I’m going to show up and fight,” said Kasanganay when asked about the switch. “Whether I’m first fight of the night or last fight of the night, I’m going to still dominate.”
“I heard that too, I guess we’ll see. When I heard Sean O’Connell said it, I was like ‘cool.’ But yeah we’ll see.”
Main event or not, Kasanganay has plenty of work to do. He’s not the type of fighter to ever be satisfied.
“My goal is to be wildly successful in and outside of the cage. So there’s so much more to accomplish, and it all goes hand-in-hand,” he stated, recalling a conversation with Robbie Lawler and Herbert Burns about mindsets being contagious.
“I refuse to have a contagious mindset of me being satisfied or thinking that I just did all I could have done. No, I don’t want to live in that satisfied place,” explained Kasanganay. “I would love the people around me to be comfortable, I would love my future family to be in a great position, but based on the work we’ve done together and the work I’ve done outside of it.”
“I’ll always be grateful, I’ll always be content with what god’s given me and what I’m able to claim, but I’ll never just be satisfied.”
Catch more from PFL 2 headliner Impa Kasanganay in the video embeds above!
