Costello Van Steenis defends the belt in friendly territory at PFL Madrid on March 20

Only the Professional Fighters League could go to Spain.According to a press release on Friday, the PFL is expanding its destination list to a country that has never held a major MMA event. While organizations such as Brave CF and The Way of Warrior FC – the latter run by champion Ilia Topuria with recent financial backing from football great Cristiano Ronaldo – have organized shows in the country of Spain, neither organization has risen to the level of a major organisation. That will change on March 20, when the PFL travels to the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid.

The main attraction will be Costello van Steenis (17-3) putting his newly acquired middleweight title on the line in a rematch with Fabian Edwards (16-4). No other matches have been announced for this show, with tickets going on sale on December 15.

PFL CEO John Martin spoke highly of the announcement in a statement as part of the release, writing: “We are making history by becoming the first global MMA company to stage an event in Spain, and we are going to make it an unforgettable evening of elite action at Palacio Vistalegre on Friday, March 20. Costello van Steenis had a storybook ending in Cape Town with one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport, and his story continues as he comes to Madrid with the flag of Spain on one shoulder, and the world on the other side Edwards is also riding a huge wave of momentum and also coming off a huge win in his last fight to win the PFL tournament title With these two at the top of the card, we’re going to put the rest of the evening on the back burner and put on an event for the ages.

One man is noticeably left out

Van Steenis, born in the Netherlands but raised in Spain, is getting a relative homecoming after capturing the 185-pound throne from then-undefeated Johnny Eblen in July. Instead of facing Eblen again, the promotion is paired with another former foe in Edwards. The two first met in 2020 at a Bellator MMA event in Milan, Italy, where “The Spaniard” took home the split decision in a three-rounder. To earn his shot at PFL gold, he won two more under the Bellator banner — his 2024 matchup against Gregory Babene served as a potential title eliminator — and then had to eliminate Joao Dantas to face Eblen on a PFL card.A close battle heading into the fifth frame, van Steenis was two out of three behind official scorecards. During a tired but exciting wrestling exchange late in the final stanza, Van Steenis rushed to grab Eblen’s back and sink in a rear naked choke. The champion opted not to tap out and went out on his shield, losing consciousness nine seconds before time would have expired.

Jamaican-born Edwards has remained in the title picture since upsetting Gegard Mousasi for a shot at gold in 2023. Eblen stopped him a few months later in Dublin, but another performance against Aaron Jeffery put him back in line for Eblen’s throne. A rematch with Eblen went better as he reached the final horn, but he still fell short. To earn one more shot at the championship, the Team Renegade fighter won the 2025 PFL Middleweight Tournament, knocking out Impa Kasanganay and Dalton Rosta while earning a decision over Joshua Silveira. This earned Edwards a check for $500,000, a shiny tournament belt and another shot at a world title.