PFL Austin: Start time, fight card and where to watch historic title fight

Johnny Eblen fights Impa Kasanganay for the interim middleweight title at PFL Austin this weekend, live on talkSPORT.

It marks the second time the American PFL stars have collided in the cage and the debut of an interim title in the promotion across any weight class.

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Current middleweight king Costello van Steenis was forced to withdraw from his scheduled PFL Austin headliner against Eblen in June.

He won the belt from Eblen last July and made his first title defence against Fabian Edwards at PFL Madrid in March.

Eblen labelled van Steenis a ‘b****’ for pulling out of the card, which allowed Kasanganay to step in for the injured champion to contest PFL’s inaugural interim world title bout.

Kasanganay, 20-6 in his professional MMA career, won the PFL’s light heavyweight tournament title in 2023 and is on a two-fight winning streak in the promotion.

Now back in his natural weight class, the North Carolina man scored a first-round knockout victory in his last bout against Dalton Rosta at PFL Pittsburgh.

Eblen, meanwhile, 17-1, has been the main training partner of retired UFC legend Dustin Poirier for years and is on the road back to reclaiming his old belt.

The American Top Team representative bounced back from dropping the middleweight title to van Steenis by submitting Bryan Battle in one round last time out in March on the same card Kasanganay defeated Rosta.

Eblen defeated Kasanganay by split decision when they first met at the historic PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions event in February 2024.

The pair headline a well-shaped PFL Austin card that also features the return of 25-year-old British bantamweight Lewis McGrillen.

McGrillen submitted Northern Irishman Alan Philpott in his last fight 14 months ago at PFL Belfast.

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PFL Austin: Start time

PFL Austin: Eblen vs. Kasanganay 2 takes place on Saturday, Jul 18, at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

The preliminary card is scheduled to begin at 10pm BST (5pm ET, 2pm PT).

Main card action will then get underway from 1am BST on Sunday (8pm ET, 5pm PT, Saturday).

PFL Austin: Where to watch

The full PFL Austin card will be available to watch for FREE on the talkSPORT Boxing YouTube channel for fans in the UK and Ireland.

For those in the US, coverage of the prelims is available on the ESPN app before ESPN2 airs the main card from 8pm ET.

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PFL Austin: Fight card

Subject to change

Main card

• MAIN EVENT: Johnny Eblen vs Impa Kasanganay – Interim PFL Middleweight title
• Co-main: Lewis McGrillen vs Rafael do Nascimento – Bantamweight
• Caolan Loughran vs Julio Arce – Featherweight
• Jesus Pinedo vs Levy Saul Marroquin – Featherweight

Preliminary card

• Biaggio Ali Walsh vs Gamid Khizriev – Lightweight
• Sergio Cossio vs Kolton Englund – Lightweight
• Andrea Vazquez vs Aleksandra Savicheva – Women’s Flyweight
• Mia Grawe vs Ashley Thiner – Women’s Flyweight
• Jackson Glass vs Zak Flessas – Featherweight
• Victoria Alba vs. Borena Tsertsvadze – Women’s Flyweight
• Luciano Pereira vs Brandon Davis – Bantamweight

PFL Austin: What has been said?

Speaking to talkSPORT.com, co-main event star McGrillen, who was originally booked to face former UFC fighter Sergio Pettis on the card, described his approach to now taking on Brazil’s do Nascimento.

“When I found out [Pettis] pulled out, I was pretty wounded, to be honest, because Sergio Pettis is a big name and I was all prepared for that,” McGrillen said.

“But I’ve had people pull out of me in the past when I was more on the regional scene.  This is the first guy that has pulled out on me in the PFL.

“I’m prepared for anyone, though. At the end of the day, I look at this guy and he’s not on the level of Sergio Pettis anyway.

Jose Peñuela / PFL Europe 3

“He’s a completely different fighter. A completely different fighter, but I’m prepared for all sorts.”

Making his prediction, McGrillen added: “I know I’m going to flatline him in a round.

“That’s how I see it. I see a car crash coming in, boom, get him!”