PFL Africa results: Costello Van Steenis shocks Johnny Eblen, Dakota Ditcheva re-signs after lopsided win
The previously undefeated Eblen (16-1) — long considered one of the best talents outside of the UFC — was putting on a signature display for PFL's maiden voyage to Cape Town, though cracks began to appear in the fourth round when a calf kick forced him to stumble, prompting Van Steenis (17-3) to let his hands go.
It seemed as though Eblen regained momentum in the fifth round when he secured Van Steenis' back with a minute left on the clock. However, the challenger managed to force a scramble, reverse the position and immediately apply a rear-naked-choke.
The referee waved off the contest with eight seconds left on the clock once Eblen's arms dropped as the referee checked to see if the American was still conscious.
'Nobody is as strong as Johnny in the first and second rounds,' said Van Steenis after the contest.
'He's the strongest guy I've ever fought with, but everybody has got a gas tank and so do I, but I gave my life for this s***, man. Twelve years in the professional business, started really young, made some mistakes … 16-3, but if you saw those threes losses, man, it was just too early for me. I was fighting legends. But I guess now I'm f***ing legend.'
In the night's co-main event, 'Dangerous' Dakota Ditcheva (15-0) appeared to tell her corner that she broke her hand midway through the third and final round of her flyweight bout with Sumiko Inaba (8-2).
Nonetheless, Ditcheva's striking arsenal was once again spellbinding at times as knees, elbows, fists and feet thudded into Inaba, who deserves credit for going the distance.
The broadcast claimed that the Manchester talent landed 87% of her attempted strikes over the three rounds — 152 of 174 shots — helping pound-for-pound star Ditcheva to a clear unanimous decision win.
Having gone the distance for the second time in her career, Ditcheva admitted she was disappointed to sustain a knock after a long period on the sidelines.
'I think I've injured my left hand, but I think I'm even more gutted because I've been out for so long and now I've come back and I'm injured again,' said Ditcheva in her post-fight interview.
'That was the best walkout I've ever had, so I just wanted to say thank you so much,' she added, praising the Cape Town crowd.
Interestingly, with speculation rampant concerning a potential future move to UFC, Ditcheva also announced that she signed a new deal with PFL that will keep her with the promotion for the foreseeable future.
'I've just re-signed with the PFL, we've come to a great agreement and I'm going to look forward to the next few years,' she said.
A.J. McKee (23-2) negotiated a challenging task put forth by Khabib Nurmagomedov student Akhmed Magomedov (11-2) to get back into the green.
McKee jarred the Dagestan lightweight with a body kick just before the bell rang to end the first round. In the second, he showcased his stellar grappling ability, spending the majority of the five minutes on Magomedov's back. Although Magomedov looked to push the pace in the final round, McKee controlled him diligently to see out the victory.
Earlier in the night, another Nurmagomedov fighter, Makkasharip Zaynukov (17-4), took victory on the main card, earning a clean unanimous decision nod over Japan's Takeshi Izumi (6-4).
Opening the main card, Corey Anderson (19-6) put on stellar debut showing at heavyweight against former PFL tournament winner Denis Golstov (36-9).
The former Bellator light heavyweight champion forced the Russian the grapple throughout the contest, and after comprehensively draining his gas tank, Anderson stopped the bout with grounded punches with approximately 90 seconds left in the second round.
Check out complete PFL Africa results and highlights below.
Main Card
Costello van Steenis def. Johnny Eblen via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:51 of R5 | Watch finish
Dakota Ditcheva def. Sumiko Inaba via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-24)
A.J. McKee def. Akhmed Magomedov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Artur Zaynukov def. Takeshi Izumi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Corey Anderson def. Denis Goltsov via TKO (strikes) at 3:28 of R2 | Watch finish
Preliminary Card
Nkosi Ndebele def. Mahmoud Atef via TKO (punches) at 4:50 of R1 | Watch finish
Maxwell Djantou Nana def. Mickael Groguhe via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Boule Godogo def. Shannon Van Tonder via split decision (30-26, 28-29, 29-27)
Justin Clarke def. Jashell Ticha Awa via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 5:00 of R1 | Watch finish
Karim Henniene def. Antero dos Santos via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Joffie Houlton def. Abdoulaye Kane via DQ (illegal knee) at 4:20 of R1 | Watch finish
Simbarashe Hokonya def. Frans Mlambo via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
Abraham Bably def. Badr Medkouri via KO at 4:59 (punch) of R1 | Watch finish
Juliet Ukah vs. Ceileigh Niedermayr via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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