England’s Fabian Edwards made a big statement on his PFL tournament debut as he finished former PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay in the second round of their middleweight bout at the PFL World Tournament event in Orlando, Florida.
Edwards took on Kasanganay at Universal Studios, and he put on a superb performance as he busted up the former 205-pound champion in the first round, then finished him in decisive fashion in the second as he delivered an emphatic message to the rest of the 185-pound division.
Edwards and Kasanganay went into the trenches early in the first round as they traded big strikes, with Kasanganay looking to land big punches, while Edwards worked a variety of kicks from distance, then turning to his hands and elbows as the American stepped into the pocket.
A short elbow from Edwards opened up a cut above Kasanganay’s eye that required work from the cutman,and a doctor’s examination, before the second round got underway.
And, despite being clipped by a solid shot by Kasanganay early, Edwards established the centre of the cage as he put Kasanganay on the back foot with smartly-chosen kicks and counter punches. Then, after Kasanganay blitzed forward with a multi-punch combination, Edwards struck.
A three-punch salvo, followed by a jumping switch knee, put the former 205-pound champion on the retreat. Then a straight left found its mark as Edwards stepped in and unloaded big shots that overwhelmed Kasanganay and sent him to the canvas.
Referee Bryan Miner quickly dived in to spare Kasanganay any unnecessary punishment, as Edwards wheeled away to celebrate his win with his brother Leon on the top of the cage.
It was an emphatic display of Edwards’ finishing skills, and showed that he’s going to be a serious problem for the rest of the middleweight tournament.
“I feel good, but the job’s not done,” Edwards told Dan Hardy after his win.
“One down. Two more to go, so I can’t get too happy.”
Edwards’ elbows did the damage early on in the fight, and he said that his experience using the weapons that the PFL had previously banned from their tournaments could prove to be a big advantage for him as he moves through the tournament.
“PFL, you should have brought in elbows a long time ago!” he grinned.
“But I knew the elbow game would be something some of these guys haven’t experienced for a couple of years.”
Edwards’ victory puts him into the semi-finals, where he’ll take on former light heavyweight finalist Josh Silveira, who lost to Kasanganay in the 2023 PFL light heavyweight final, and again in the 2024 PFL light heavyweight playoffs.
“He’s had two fights with Impa [and] couldn’t do that to Impa,” said Edwards.
“I’ve gone in there and took him out, so make of that what you want to make of it.”
PFL World Tournament 3: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Fabian Edwards def. Impa Kasanganay via TKO (flying knee and punches) – Round 2, 2:24
- Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Marc Diakiese via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 0:32
- Dalton Rosta def. Sadibou Sy via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 3:29
- Jay Jay Wilson def. Mads Burnell via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 3, 4:42
- Alfie Davis def. Clay Collard via TKO (spinning back elbow and punches) – Round 1, 2:12
EARLY CARD
- Josh Silveira def. Mike Shipman via unanimous decision
- Brent Primus def. Vinicius Ceni via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:52
- Aaron Jeffery def. Murad Ramazanov via split decision
