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Costello van Steenis

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Costello van Steenis
Born (1992-07-26) 26 July 1992 (age 33)
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Other namesThe Spaniard
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionMiddleweight
Reach76 in (193 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofVlaardingen, Netherlands
TeamMMA Vlaardingen
Years active2014-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total20
Wins17
By knockout5
By submission8
By decision3
By disqualification1
Losses3
By decision3
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Costello van Steenis (born 26 July 1992) is a Dutch professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the PFL, where he is the current Middleweight Champion. Van Steenis has been a professional MMA fighter since 2014 and has previously competed in Bellator MMA.

Background

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Van Steenis was born on 26 July 1992 in Rotterdam, Netherlands to a Dutch father and Filipino mother. He grew up in Spain in the coastal town of Altea. Van Steenis was first introduced to MMA in the nearby town of Benidorm. His trainer recognized that van Steenis was talented and told him he should move to a different country where MMA is more established so he could grow as a fighter. Van Steenis decided to move to the Netherlands and live with his godfather in Vlaardingen. He ended up joining MMA Vlaardingen, training under Ricardo Wondel. He then also joined regular training sessions with Gegard Mousasi's team in Leiden and at Kops Gym in Amsterdam.[2] He considers Mousasi as a mentor and has stated he would not fight him.[3]

Van Steenis has a scar on his face, caused by a bite of his grandmother's dog when he was two years old.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Van Steenis began his professional MMA career in 2014. Prior to signing with Bellator MMA, he compiled an 8-1 record, finishing most of his opponents. Up until that point, his only loss came against Jake Bostwick, where van Steenis suffered a fractured eye socket at the beginning of the second round. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[5]

Bellator MMA

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Making his Bellator debut, van Steenis faced Steve Skrzat on 20 October 2017, at Bellator 185.[6] He won the bout by first-round submission.[7]

Van Steenis faced Kevin Fryer on 25 May 2018, at Bellator 200. He won the fight by first-round TKO.[8][9]

Van Steenis faced Chris Honeycutt at Bellator 200 on 30 November 2018. He won the bout by split decision.[10]

Van Steenis faced Mike Shipman on 22 June 2019, at Bellator 223.[11] He won the bout by knockout in the second round.[12]

Van Steenis faced John Salter on 8 November 2019, in the main event of Bellator 233.[13] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[14]

Van Steenis was scheduled to face Fabian Edwards on 16 May 2020, at Bellator London 3.[15] However, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] The bout was rebooked for 26 September 2020 at Bellator Milan 2. He won the bout by split decision.[17]

Van Steenis faced Kamil Oniszczuk on 29 October 2022, at Bellator 287.[18] He won the bout by submission via brabo choke in the second round.[19]

Van Steenis faced Douglas Lima on 12 May 2023 at Bellator 296.[20] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[21]

Van Steenis faced Gregory Babene at Bellator Champions Series 2 on 17 May 2024. He won the fight via submission in the second round.[22]

Professional Fighters League

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Making his PFL debut, van Steenis faced João Vitor Dantas on 29 November 2024, at PFL 10.[23] He won the bout by knockout in the first round.[24]

Van Steenis faced Johnny Eblen for the PFL Middleweight World Championship on 19 July 2025, at PFL Champions Series 2.[25] He won the title via submission in the final seconds of round five.[26]

Personal life

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Van Steenis is the older brother of Gino van Steenis who is also a mixed martial artist.[27]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
20 matches 17 wins 3 losses
By knockout 5 0
By submission 8 0
By decision 3 3
By disqualification 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 17–3 Johnny Eblen Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) PFL Champions Series 2 July 19, 2025 5 4:53 Cape Town, South Africa Won the PFL Middleweight World Championship.
Win 16–3 João Vitor Dantas KO (head kick) PFL 10 (2024) November 29, 2024 1 0:48 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Win 15–3 Gregory Babene Submission (Von Flue choke) Bellator Champions Series 2 May 17, 2024 2 2:16 Paris, France Bellator Middleweight title eliminator.
Loss 14–3 Douglas Lima Decision (unanimous) Bellator 296 May 12, 2023 3 5:00 Paris, France
Win 14–2 Kamil Oniszczuk Submission (brabo choke) Bellator 287 October 29, 2022 2 3:02 Milan, Italy
Win 13–2 Fabian Edwards Decision (split) Bellator Milan 2 September 26, 2020 3 5:00 Milan, Italy
Loss 12–2 John Salter Decision (unanimous) Bellator 233 November 8, 2019 3 5:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 12–1 Mike Shipman KO (punches) Bellator 223 June 22, 2019 2 1:34 London, England
Win 11–1 Chris Honeycutt Decision (split) Bellator 210 November 30, 2018 3 5:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 10–1 Kevin Fryer TKO (punches) Bellator 200 May 25, 2018 1 1:20 London, England
Win 9–1 Steve Skrzat TKO (submission to elbows) Bellator 185 October 20, 2017 1 2:52 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 8–1 Marcin Naruszczka DQ (illegal kick to downed opponent) PLMMA 72 March 4, 2017 2 2:35 Warsaw, Poland Won the PLMMA Middleweight Championship.
Win 7–1 Ronan McKay Submission (rear-naked choke) Combat Performance League 1 August 27, 2016 1 2:05 Guildford, England
Loss 6–1 Jake Bostwick Decision (unanimous) Phoenix Fight Night 28 December 12, 2015 3 5:00 Bournemouth, England For the vacant PFN Middleweight Championship.
Win 6–0 Avi Jack Submission (triangle choke) Phoenix Fight Night 27 September 12, 2015 1 3:02 Bournemouth, England
Win 5–0 Harry McLeman Submission (triangle choke) Phoenix Fight Night 26 June 13, 2015 2 1:03 Bournemouth, England
Win 4–0 Andy Manzolo TKO (punches) Phoenix Fight Night 25 March 28, 2015 1 1:00 Bournemouth, England
Win 3–0 Maarten Wouters Submission (rear-naked choke) Staredown FC 9 March 14, 2015 1 3:29 Deurne, Belgium
Win 2–0 Cenk Toplar Submission (rear-naked choke) Strength and Honour 10 October 4, 2014 1 3:12 Dessel, Belgium
Win 1–0 Andy Peters Decision (unanimous) Hoyer's Productions: Battle of the South 12 April 5, 2014 2 5:00 Kerkrade, Netherlands Middleweight debut.

[28]

References

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  1. ^ "Costello van Steenis ("The Spaniard")". Tapology. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  2. ^ van Raalte, Sam (24 May 2018). "Dit is het verhaal van opkomend MMA-vechter Costello van Steenis". VICE. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  3. ^ Head, Simon (16 June 2019). "Costello van Steenis on one day fighting mentor Gegard Mousasi: 'That's messed up'". MMAJunkie. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  4. ^ van Raalte, Sam (24 May 2018). "Dit is het verhaal van opkomend MMA-vechter Costello van Steenis". VICE. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  5. ^ van Raalte, Sam (24 May 2018). "Dit is het verhaal van opkomend MMA-vechter Costello van Steenis". VICE. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Pair Of Bouts Added To Bellator 185 | Fightful MMA". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  7. ^ Tucker, Bryan (20 October 2017). "Bellator 185 Results: Mousasi vs. Shlemenko". MMAFighting. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  8. ^ Tucker, Bryan (25 May 2018). "Bellator 200 Results: Carvalho vs. Mousasi". MMAFighting. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  9. ^ stevejuon (2018-05-25). "Bellator 200 results: Live 'Carvalho vs Mousasi' streaming play-by-play updates". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  10. ^ Tucker, Bryan (30 November 2018). "Bellator 210 Results: Njokuani vs. Salter". MMAFighting. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  11. ^ Carroll, Peter (12 April 2019). "Mike Shipman vs. Costello Van Steenis among three bouts added to Bellator London". MMAFighting. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  12. ^ Tucker, Bryan (22 June 2019). "Bellator 223 London Results: Mousasi vs. Lovato". MMAFighting. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  13. ^ Mercado, Eddie (8 November 2019). "Bellator 233: Salter vs. Van Steenis fight card preview". BloodyElbow. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  14. ^ Doyle, Dave (8 November 2019). "Bellator 233 results: John Salter earns unanimous nod over Costello van Steenis". MMAJunkie. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  15. ^ Gibbons, Justin (2020-02-28). "Edwards vs. Van Steenis Co-Main Event Added to Bellator: London". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  16. ^ "Bellator postpones three MMA events in May due to the coronavirus pandemic". CBS Sports. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  17. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2020-09-26). "Bellator Europe 8 results: Costello van Steenis gives Fabian Edwards first MMA loss in Milan". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  18. ^ "Adam Piccolotti vs. Mansour Barnaoui headlines Bellator 287 in Milan, Italy". MMA Junkie. 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  19. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bellator 287 'Piccolotti vs. Barnaoui' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  20. ^ "Ex-champ Douglas Lima moves back to 185, meets Costello Van Steenis at Bellator Paris". MMA Junkie. 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  21. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-05-12). "Bellator 296: Douglas Lima Snaps Skid with Decision Over Costello van Steenis". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  22. ^ "Bellator Champions Series results: Patchy Mix squeaks by Magomed Magomedov to retain title". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
  23. ^ Guillen, Adam (2024-11-12). "PFL reveals massive full fight card for 2024 World Championship event in Riyadh on Nov. 29". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  24. ^ Thomas Albano (2024-11-29). "Costello van Steenis kicks off the action in Saudi Arabia with sub-minute KO". pflmma.com. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  25. ^ "Johnny Eblen, Dakota Ditcheva to compete in inaugural PFL Africa event in July". MMA Junkie. 2025-05-07. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  26. ^ "PFL Cape Town: Costello van Steenis Shocks, Subs Johnny Eblen with Nine Seconds Left". cagesidepress.com.
  27. ^ Albano, Thomas (May 10, 2025). "Gino van Steenis uses pressure to overcome being dropped, score decision to advance in Lightweight Tournament". pflmma.com.
  28. ^ Sherdog.com. "Costello van Steenis". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
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