After nearly six long years of waiting, Fabian
Edwards will have the chance to avenge the first loss of his
career when he rematches Costello
van Steenis on Friday at the Vistalegre Arena Palace in Madrid.
When Edwards was a rising prospect, “The Assassin” dropped a
razor-thin split decision to the Spanish contender. Since then,
Edwards has matured as a fighter and is at the peak of his powers.
Fresh off winning the 2025 PFL middleweight tournament, Edwards
hopes to establish himself as the face of the promotion with a win
over a familiar rival. But van Steenis is further along in his
career as well. “The Spaniard” left MMA fans speechless after he
pulled off the upset of the year last July to win the inaugural PFL
middleweight title. van Steenis returns to his home country looking
to kick his reign off with a dominant title defense.
If van Steenis believes that Edwards is the same prospect half a
decade ago, he’s in for a rude awakening. The reigning champion
escaped that fight with a decision despite being overwhelmed for
most of the third round, and this time Edwards has what it takes to
finish the job.
Here are three reasons why Fabian Edwards will defeat Costello van
Steenis at
PFL Madrid:
It starts with the hands
There are few middleweights in the world with striking technique as
sharp as Edwards. Known for his long rangy kicks, quick counters
and tricky feints, Edwards is a master at slowing his opponent down
and drawing them into cerebral warfare. At his best, Edwards can
move laterally around the cage and pick his opponent apart with
long range attack and sneaky power shots. He can lull a fighter
with feints before putting them to sleep with powerful punches.
Edwards is so much more than just a kickboxer, however. The Team
Renegade prospect has prided himself on developing his ground game
over the years. He’s stubborn in the clinch and even when he goes
to the ground, he finds his striking opportunities in the
scramble.
When they fought the first time, Edwards held an edge on the feet
when he led the dance and worked behind his three-inch reach
advantage. Picking at van Steenis guard with jabs and teeps is a
great way to draw him out and lure him into a well-timed counter.
Edwards will look to rely on his movement and pacing to keep van
Steenis one-dimensional. The champion is a well-rounded fighter who
will look to find his moments to secure eye-catching takedowns. If
Edwards keeps this fight on the feet for a long as possible. He
should be able to demonstrate the gap in their striking
pedigree.
Five rounds of fury
When Edwards and van Steenis met the first time Sept. 2020, the
fight was slated for three rounds. Round one was primarily a slower
paced, feeling-out process that Edwards led for most part.
Unfortunately for the Englishman, van Steenis closed the gap with a
surge in the closing minute, causing a rift between the judges. Van
Steenis would dominate the second round on the ground before
Edwards returned the favor in the third. Both men had periods of
dominance, but it would ultimately be the controversial first round
that decided the winner. With this fight taking place under the
five-round championship limit, Edwards will have more time to
separate himself from the champion. Edwards has gone the five-round
limit twice, beating Gegard
Mousasi and dropping a decision to Johnny
Eblen. As an experienced striker, Edwards should appreciate the
extra time to set traps and lure van Steenis into a fight-finishing
trap.
Headshot, dead
You can never count out an Edwards brother. Fabian, much like his
world championship-winning older brother Leon
Edwards, has built his career on fantastic
highlight-reel-worthy knockouts. He’s a fighter who won’t let an
opponent speed him up. He strikes off timing and aims to make every
punch and kick count. This makes him exceptionally dangerous later
in fights. Edwards proved this last August when he head kicked
Dalton
Rosta to the shadow realm to capture the PFL middleweight
tournament title. The championship-winning kick was three years to
the day that Leon famously knocked out Kamaru
Usman to claim the UFC welterweight crown. It’s no surprise the
brothers fight so similarly, considering they’ve always cornered
each other for their fights. Leon will preach patience to his
younger brother, and Fabian will oblige. It could come early in the
bout or in the closing moments, but as long as Edwards is standing,
van Steenis should be wary about the headshot or his title reign
will be dead on the spot.
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