Nothing will stop Fabian Edwards’ revenge season, not even his gym burning down

Cooper Neill

After his Team Renegade stomping grounds in Birmingham, England were burned out of function, Fabian Edwards was forced to find a new facility in preparation for his rematch with PFL middleweight champion Costello van Steenis, which headlines Friday’s PFL Madrid event.

Visa issues nearly cost the English fighter his chance at competing in last year’s PFL tournament. Yet, after being given the green light to enter the U.S. at the eleventh hour, he reminded the world of how devastating he can be with three straight wins that paved his way to $500,000 and a shot at the title.

Now, despite being in the homeland of van Steenis for their second meeting, Edwards seems completely at ease with the task at hand and the challenges his gym being engulfed in flames brought to the table.

“A fire started behind the gym, and then Renegade is beside a tire shop,” Edwards told Uncrowned ahead of Friday’s bout. “Once the tire shop went up, it caught onto the gym, and apparently stopping a fire when there’s a load of burning tires is hard. That was the end of that.”

The younger of the famed Edwards brothers, the 32-year-old Birmingham man hopes his run of form will prove just as difficult to extinguish. After relocating to a local gym, Edwards has kept up the momentum from a stellar 2025, in which he spent “eight months in camp” throughout the PFL tournament season.

Previous tournament champions like fellow Briton, Brendan Loughnane, have highlighted how impactful the format’s schedule can be on the body. Similarly, recent defeats to former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and middleweight contender Renier de Ridder were chalked up to an overbearing schedule. Between preparing brother Leon Edwards for his UFC showdown with Carlos Prates and nursing a shoulder injury, Edwards admitted he hasn’t been able to switch off from the hurt business completely, but he was still chomping at the bit to get his camp underway for van Steenis.

There’s a new energy about Edwards over the past 12 months too. Compared to younger versions of himself, he appears a picture of composure on fight week. He’s been studying the mentality of elite athletes, putting more faith in his work and accepting what can happen in one of the cruelest of disciplines. He’s also changed his internal dialogue, something he believes helps him zero in on the challenge ahead of him.

“It’s like I’ve been saying all week, I just feel like I’ve come here to collect what I’ve worked for. I’ve put in all the hours, I’ve done everything I can to make sure I get my hand raised on Friday,” he said.

Edwards has also noticed a shift in the champion since arriving in the Spanish capital. Before fight week, his interactions with van Steenis had been respectful, but there’s a bit more bite as their meeting gets closer. PFL’s middleweight king has been cast in the role of hometown hero for the promotion’s maiden voyage to Spain, but Edwards isn’t so sure van Steenis is resonating with the locals as much as he’d like.

“First of all, the Spanish fans can’t fight for him. It’s just going to be me and him in there,” Edwards said. “But even just walking around, and being in the gym I’ve been working in, a lot of people are telling me they’re rooting for me — Spanish guys, you know? F*** knows, maybe they’re lying to me, but I certainly don’t feel like I’m behind enemy lines or anything like that. The people have been great.”

Edwards’ forecast for 2026 reads like a revenge thriller.

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If everything goes according to plan on Friday, he will leave Madrid as champion, with a keen eye on PFL Pittsburgh — where his old foe, former Bellator middleweight titleholder Johnny Eblen, will attempt to regain winning momentum against promotional debutant Bryan Battle.

“Don’t get me wrong it’s always business first, but revenge is sweet too,” Edwards said. “How good would this year be if we got one back on Costello and then Johnny as well? That’s a beautiful year for me, and I feel like that’s how the stars have aligned.”