Costello van Steenis is a world champion after one of the most shocking submissions in recent memory.
The longtime Bellator veteran claimed the PFL 185-pound title Saturday in the main event of PFL Africa with a late choke-out of the previously undefeated Johnny Eblen (16-1). It was a much-needed finish for van Steenis, who was possibly headed to a loss on the scorecards—Eblen was up 39-37 on two cards after four rounds—with time ticking away in Round 5.
Watch the comeback submission sequence below.
“Nobody’s as strong as Jonny in the first or second round,” van Steenis said in his post-fight interview. “Strongest guy I’ve ever trained before with, but man, everybody’s got a gas tank. So do I. But I gave my life for this shit. Twelve years in the professional business, started really young, made some mistakes, 16-3, but if you see the three losses, it was just too early for me. I was fighting legends. Well, I guess I’m a f*cking legend now, am I?”
The official time of the stoppages was 4:51 into Round 5.
Eblen’s wrestling and non-stop pressure game were on display in the opening rounds as he pushed the pace before taking van Steenis to the mat. In Round 1, Eblen hammered van Steenis with punches on his back as he stayed heavy on the title challenger, while in Round 2 he went for a rear-naked choke—an ironic hint of what was to come.
The tide began to turn in Round 3 as van Steenis was able to keep the fight on the feet for long stretches and get his striking game going. Eblen went right back to his wrestling to slow van Steenis down, keeping the action close on the cards.
However, in Round 4, van Steenis clearly started to gain the advantage. A hard low kick actually tripped Eblen to the mat and later in the round, van Steenis battered Eblen with a flurry against the fance in the closing moments of the frame.
Eblen had success holding van Steenis down in Round 5, but had visibly slowed, and when van Steenis found an opportunity to reverse the grappling and take Eblen’s back, he didn’t hesitate. The challenger sunk in a rear-naked choke and despite Eblen’s best attempts to hang on until the final bell, he eventually went limp, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight.
This marks the first loss for Eblen and snaps a streak of four consecutive title fight wins. For van Steenis, he has now won three straight, and can finally lay claim to a championship belt after turning pro over a decade ago.
