The PFL promised big things after it acquired Bellator from Paramount in a less than $100 million deal last year. The Donn Davis-led promotion bought the second-biggest MMA promotion in the world in an attempt to contend with the absolute market dominance of the UFC.

To this end, the PFL is organizing the first PFL vs. Bellator mega-event on February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The card will see champions from Bellator going up against champions from the PFL and also feature the biggest stars in both promotions in a truly unprecedented event. And perhaps the most anticipated matchup is between PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay and Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen. Impa will join us tomorrow for an ES Exclusive Fancast interview where he will speak about.

Impa Kasanaganay to face Eblen in the first-of-its-kind cross-promotion fight

Impa Kasanganay went from being cut from the UFC, living in his car to becoming the PFL light heavyweight champion within a year. The Congo native got a UFC contract after he won his bout on Dana White’s Contender Series.

However, Kasnaganay had a short stint in the promotion and was cut after four fights with a 2-2 record in the promotion. He went viral during his UFC tenure for being knocked out by Joaquin Buckley via a spinning back kick in their UFC matchup in 2020.

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After this, the 29-year-old fell on hard times and even had to resort to living in his car before he joined the PFL. He participated in the Challenger Series of the 2023 PFL season and went on to win the whole thing, becoming the light heavyweight champion.

Not content with this, the champion is determined to leave his mark on MMA history. Kasanganay will face celebrated Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen in a middleweight bout for the latter’s title. And ahead of a legacy-defining fight against Johnny Eblen, Kasanganay is on a media tour to promote the fight.

He will join us on our Exclusive ES FanCast where he will break down how he plans to beat Elben. And even though he is going to fight Eblen shortly, the Congo native has nothing but good things to say about the middleweight champion.

Kasanaganay sees Eblen fight akin to David vs. Goliath

Kasanganay is not one to talk trash to his opponents and is respectful and polite to his opponents. This is the case when it comes to Johnny Eblen, whom the Contenders Series alumni have a lot of respect for calling him a historically great fighter. However, he was determined to defeat Eblen and saw their fight as akin to the contest between David and Goliath and felt if he could defeat the Bellator fighter, he would leave his mark on MMA history.

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“Johnny is good everywhere. He’s done his thing in Bellator He dominated, he’s fought well… he’s one of those fighters who’s put a stamp and made his place in history. And those are the moments in the fights that you look to elevate yourself. And I think it is a thing to consider like a catapulting moment, that David versus Goliath or whatever you want to look at it,” Kasanganay said.

If you wanna know more about Kasanganay’s journey then tune in to the upcoming Essentiallysports exclusive Fancast interview with the PFL star.

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