Costello van Steenis Sees Himself as the ‘Kryptonite’ to Johnny Eblen’s Superman

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Bellator MMA champion Johnny Eblen, one of the best middleweights in the world, will have a major obstacle in front of him when the Professional Fighters League touches down in Capetown, South Africa, on Saturday at GrandWest Arena. There, in the 2025 PFL Africa 1 main event, Eblen takes on Costello van Steenis for the vacant PFL Champions Series middleweight title.

Van Steenis does not view the unbeaten Eblen as invincible. In fact, he feels the call to face the American Top Team star came at the perfect time.

“I knew I deserved the next shot,” van Steenis told Sherdog.com. “I was supposed to fight at the beginning of the year against Fabian Edwards or Eblen. I said I didn’t want to wait that long because those two had to fight still, so I asked if I could fight in the meantime, which was very risky, but we decided to have one more go and show the world that we are next in line for the belt.”

Van Steenis took the calculated risk and faced Joao Dantas at the 2024 PFL Championships in November and needed just 48 seconds to cut down the Brazilian with a head kick.

“First off, when I was fighting for Bellator, I wasn’t really active,” he said. “It was nudging me; it was a shame. They said I had to wait for the title fight, and I thought it would take a year. I don’t want to fight once a year. They paid me well to have a fight, and I really do believe in myself and my trainers really believe in me as one of the best middleweights in the world. If I didn’t have the confidence and belief in myself, then there’s no point in me fighting for the title. It was all green lights for me and my team. I had to show the world, and that’s what we did.”

Van Steenis has a birthday right around the corner—he turns 33 on July 26—but his sole focus rests on winning a PFL championship. Eblen, who owns a 16-0 record, stands in his way. Van Steenis welcomes the challenge.

“It’s all about this dream I’ve been working so hard for,” he said. “Yes, I do believe I’m going to have one of the hardest fights of my life, but I’m ready for it. I’m the strongest version of myself ever. Johnny is going to have one of the hardest fights of his life, and I’m sure he’s going to have his first loss. That’s going to shock the world. It’s all eyes on us.”

Van Steenis carries his opponent in high regard but believes he has the Des Moines, Iowa, native’s number.

“I see Johnny as a great guy and a really good fighter,” he said. “Every good fighter has a weakness, and his weakness is me in every way. If we’re going to wrestle, sure, he might beat me there, but this is MMA. The hardest fights he’s had in his career are against people who are aggressive, and I’m going to be the most aggressive fighter he’s ever faced in his career. That’s going to be his kryptonite.”