Hollywood, FL — Cotello van Steenis claimed middleweight gold from Johnny Eblen recently, and he’s already lining up his next PFL Champions Series opponent.
“I hope by the end of the year, I’ll fight Fabian [Edwards] or Dalton Rosta. One of them will be the next victim for me,” van Steenis (17-3) said during an appearance at PFL Hollywood this past Thursday, speaking with Cageside Press and other media outlets.
It was Edwards vs. Rosta headlining the show in Hollywood, Florida, with Edwards getting the job done by head kick later that evening. Still, there might be some surprise in not seeing a rematch between Eblen, unbeaten prior to his loss to van Steenis, and the new champ. Especially since van Steenis already has a win over Fabian Edwards as well.
“I definitely, 100% believe Johnny Eblen and I will have a rematch sooner or later. But the next fight is going to be Dalton, or Fabian,” stated van Steenis, asked about the rematch possibility. “The one that wins tonight, hopefully I can get my hands on them before the end of the year.”
Or soon, it seems. “I’m ready to go next month if I have to.”
Costello van Steenis was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands but grew up in Spain, and carries the nickname “The Spaniard.” He also carries the country’s flag as well, much like UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
“It’s crazy, it’s crazy. Representing the Spanish flag, my mission is to bring PFL to Spain,” stated van Steenis. “And we’re like this close to doing it. I don’t know if we can make it this year, but we have to do it next year. The people there are begging for it, and we’ve got a big army.”
The middleweight champ also touched on the rise of Spanish MMA. “Not one or two fighters, but there’s a lot of Spanish fighters making noise at the moment, that just need the exposure so that the world can see.”
Watch the full PFL Hollywood media appearance by Costello van Steenis above.
