PITTSBURGH (MARCH 28, 2026) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) descended upon ‘The Steel City’ for the first time, delivering an electrifying evening of combat sports at the UPMC Center. The main event saw former Bellator World Champion and top-ranked PFL middleweight, Johnny Eblen, make a stunning comeback from his first career loss, securing a first-round submission win against PFL newcomer Bryan Battle. This victory sets the stage for a potential rematch with the current PFL Middleweight World Champion, Costello van Steenis.
In the co-main event, the crowd favorite and Pittsburgh’s own Dalton Rosta, ranked No. 4, faced off against No. 3-ranked Impa Kasanganay. Despite the hometown support, Rosta could not overcome Kasanganay’s relentless assault. After a fierce exchange of heavy blows, Kasanganay landed a decisive pair of shots, prompting the referee to halt the bout.
Making her PFL debut, No. 10-ranked flyweight Ariane Lipski da Silva dominated No. 5-ranked Sumiko Inaba. Lipski’s superior striking and composure allowed her to control the pace and secure a unanimous decision victory. The bout between No. 8 and No. 9-ranked PFL featherweights, Alexei Pergande and Julio Arce, was a bloody spectacle. Both fighters traded shots on their feet and grappled on the ground, but it was Pergande who emerged victorious via unanimous decision.
Cuban bantamweight Lazaro Dayron, ranked No. 9, maintained his undefeated record with a unanimous decision win over Jacob Thrall. Dayron’s wrestling prowess was on full display as he executed seven takedowns over three rounds.
Main Card Results:
- Johnny Eblen (17-1) defeated Bryan Battle (12-3) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:10 of round one
- Impa Kasanganay (20-6) defeated Dalton Rosta (11-3) via knockout at 3:18 of round one
- Ariane Lipski da Silva (18-11) defeated Sumiko Inaba (8-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Alexei Pergande (8-0) defeated Julio Arce (21-7) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Lazaro Dayron (10-0-1) defeated Jacob Thrall (15-8-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Preliminary Card Results:
- Jack Cartwright (14-2) defeated Allan Begosso (10-4-1) via split decision (29-28, 27-28, 29-28)
- Jakub Kaszuba (16-0) defeated Natan Schulte (25-6-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Dakota Bush (16-4) defeated Robert Watley (16-4) via KO at 0:34 of round one
- Ernesto Rodriguez (11-1) defeated Masayuki Kikuiri (11-4-1) via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tatiana Postarnakova (7-0) defeated Elora Dana (8-2) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Josh Fremd (12-6) defeated Jarrah Al Salawi (21-6) via knockout at 3:57 of round three
- Fred Dupras (10-2) defeated Ethan Goss (12-9) via technical submission (guillotine) at 2:46 of round one
Upcoming PFL Schedule:
- April 11 – PFL Chicago – Wintrust Arena – Chicago, Illinois
- April 16 – PFL Belfast – SSE Arena Belfast – Belfast, Northern Ireland
- May 2 – PFL Sioux Falls – Sanford Pentagon – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- May 23 – PFL Brussels – ING Arena – Brussels, Belgium
Team_TBE Boxing
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