Costello van Steenis Record, stats and next fight

Analysis

Costello van Steenis is a Dutch-Spanish MMA fighter competing at middleweight, the current Professional Fighters League (PFL) middleweight world champion. He carries a professional record of 18 wins and 3 losses, built on the European regional circuit and then at Bellator MMA and PFL.

Career

Born on July 26, 1992 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Costello van Steenis is nicknamed “The Spaniard”, a nod to his Spanish roots on his family’s side. He trains at MMA Vlaardingen under Ricardo Wondel, while also working with Gegard Mousasi’s team in Leiden and at Kops Gym in Amsterdam. He turned professional in April 2014 and strung together wins on the Dutch and British regional circuit, facing the likes of Andy Peters, Cenk Toplar and Maarten Wouters for promotions such as Battle of the South, Strength and Honour and Staredown FC. In 2015, he won three straight fights for Phoenix Fight Night before suffering his first loss, by unanimous decision against Jake Bostwick in December 2015. He bounced back in 2016 and 2017 with wins for Combat Performance League and PLMMA, the latter by disqualification of his opponent Marcin Naruszczka for an illegal kick to a grounded opponent, before signing with Bellator MMA.

Bellator MMA career

Costello van Steenis made his Bellator MMA debut in October 2017, at Bellator 185, where he submitted Steve Skrzat by elbow strikes stoppage. He followed up with wins over Kevin Fryer by TKO at Bellator 200, then over Chris Honeycutt by split decision at Bellator 210, and over Mike Shipman by knockout at Bellator 223. In November 2019, he suffered his second professional loss, by unanimous decision, against John Salter at Bellator 233. He got back on track in September 2020 by beating Fabian Edwards by split decision at Bellator Milan 2, then in October 2022 by submitting Kamil Oniszczuk with a brabo choke at Bellator 287. In May 2023, he lost by unanimous decision to Douglas Lima at Bellator 296. He closed out his Bellator run in May 2024 by submitting Gregory Babene with a Von Flue choke at Bellator Champions Series 2, shortly before the organization merged with the Professional Fighters League.

Professional Fighters League (PFL) career

Under the Professional Fighters League banner, Costello van Steenis continued his rise in November 2024 by beating Joao Vitor Dantas with a first-round head-kick knockout at PFL 10. In July 2025, he faced Johnny Eblen, then the organization’s middleweight world champion, at PFL Champions Series 2. Written off as a likely loser after several tough rounds, he turned the fight around and submitted Johnny Eblen with a rear-naked choke in the fifth round to claim the title. In March 2026, he defended his belt against Fabian Edwards at PFL Madrid and won by third-round elbow-strike knockout. Van Steenis was set to face Johnny Eblen in a rematch on July 18, 2026, but withdrew from the fight due to injury. He was replaced by Impa Kasanganay, who faced Johnny Eblen for the division’s interim title.

Fighting style

Costello van Steenis builds the bulk of his wins on the ground: eight of his eighteen professional victories come by submission, with a clear leaning toward the rear-naked choke, the triangle choke and less common holds such as the brabo choke and the Von Flue choke. The latter, used against Gregory Babene, shows a sharp positional control once the fight hits the mat. Van Steenis also carries real punching power, with six wins by KO or TKO, two of them by elbow strikes in his last two fights against Fabian Edwards and in the following fight against Johnny Eblen. His win over Joao Vitor Dantas, sealed by a head kick in under a minute, shows an ability to finish a fight quickly on the feet. His record, marked by a single setback in three fights that went to a unanimous decision in full, suggests the endurance and pace management that let him stay competitive across five rounds, as in his win over Johnny Eblen.

Record

• Professional record: 18 wins, 3 losses, 0 draws
• Wins by KO/TKO: 6
• Wins by submission: 8
• Wins by decision: 3
• Win by disqualification: 1
• Losses by decision: 3
• Title: Professional Fighters League middleweight world champion (since July 2025, defended in March 2026)

Fighter profile

• Full name: Costello van Steenis
• Nickname: The Spaniard
• Born: July 26, 1992, in Rotterdam (Netherlands)
• Nationality: Dutch-Spanish
• Height: 6’1″ (185 cm)
• Reach: 6’4″ (193 cm)
• Division: middleweight
• Team: MMA Vlaardingen
• Coach: Ricardo Wondel
• Base: grappling and submissions, backed by power striking

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org
• pflmma.com