Van Steenis-Eblen Rematch Set for PFL Austin

Costello van Steenis will defend his PFL middleweight title against Johnny Eblen in a championship rematch on July 18 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. MMA Fighting reported that promotional officials announced the bout Wednesday, with the main event airing on ESPN2. The fight resets the stakes after van Steenis submitted Eblen in their first meeting and left questions behind.

The announcement gives PFL Austin a real championship anchor. Van Steenis enters as the titleholder after taking the belt from Eblen by comeback submission in the main event of PFL Africa this past July, according to MMA Fighting. That first result now drives the rematch more than any ranking math or promotional framing.

Van Steenis has the belt, but he also has a chance to sharpen the verdict. Eblen has the loss, but he also has a clean route back to the top of the PFL middleweight picture. The first fight matters because of how it ended.

MMA Fighting described van Steenis’ title win as a comeback submission, which means the new champion did not just cruise through Eblen. He survived enough danger, found the finish, and walked out with the belt. That kind of result can create two arguments at once.

One says van Steenis proved he could beat an elite middleweight under pressure. The other says Eblen let control slip and deserves the chance to correct it. PFL has now chosen to settle that tension in the cage rather than let it linger.

Van Steenis leaned straight into that point in the announcement. In a release cited by MMA Fighting, he said he wanted the rematch from the moment the first fight ended and pointed to continued debate around the result. His message was blunt: he wants to prove definitively that he is the better fighter on July 18.

That is the champion’s side of the story. He is not treating the rematch as a nuisance defense or a contractual sequel. He is treating it as unfinished public business, even after winning the belt.

Eblen’s side is just as clear, though the source material offers less direct comment from him. MMA Fighting framed the matchup as Eblen trying to right the wrong, and that fits the stakes without needing extra decoration. A former champion who loses by comeback submission does not need a complicated comeback narrative.

He needs a better night. For Eblen, PFL Austin is a chance to restore his elite middleweight case in the most efficient way available: beat the man who took the title, take back the belt, and erase the idea that the first finish exposed a deeper flaw. The thinness of the current reporting matters too.

This is an announcement-driven cluster with one primary report, and the known facts come almost entirely from MMA Fighting’s account of the PFL release. There is no broad independent layer yet on bout agreements, full card structure, medical timelines, betting markets, or tactical changes from either camp. That does not weaken the fight itself.

It does limit what can be stated responsibly right now. The confirmed spine is strong: title rematch, July 18, Moody Center, ESPN2 main card, van Steenis defending, Eblen challenging. PFL Austin also gets a useful identity from this booking.

The promotion can sell the event around a champion who wants validation and a challenger who still carries elite credibility. The location gives the company a major arena setting at Moody Center, while the ESPN2 placement puts the main card in front of a linear television audience. For a middleweight title fight, that matters.

Rematches can feel stale when the first meeting was decisive and drama-free. This one has a different texture because the finish, by the champion’s own admission, still has people talking. The matchup also sits inside a broader middleweight conversation that includes names such as Fabian Edwards, Bryan Battle, Sean Strickland, and Khamzat Chimaev across the wider MMA landscape.

The source report does not tie those fighters directly to this card or to immediate PFL booking plans, so they should not be forced into the news. Still, van Steenis and Eblen are operating in a division where status is constantly compared across promotions. A clean title defense by van Steenis would strengthen his claim as a champion with staying power.

A rebound win by Eblen would reopen the argument that he remains one of the most credible middleweights outside the UFC title track. Key facts: - Costello van Steenis vs. - Van Steenis said in the release that he wanted the rematch immediately and wants to prove he is definitively the better fighter.

The implication is simple: PFL has a title fight with a clean hook and no need for artificial heat. Van Steenis gets the burden that comes with being a champion whose biggest win still draws debate. Eblen gets the rare luxury of an immediate narrative repair job, but only if he can solve the exact opponent who punished him last time.

The winner leaves Austin with more than a belt. He leaves with control of the story at 185 pounds inside PFL. What's next: PFL still has room to build out the card and add context around the championship rematch.

More details should clarify the full bout order, supporting fights, and any additional broadcast windows around the July 18 event. Until then, the central question is already set. Van Steenis wants the rematch to end the debate.

Eblen needs it to restart his case. Read at MMA Fighting (SBN)