‘A dream come true’published at 22:15 GMT
Van Steenis v Edwards
With the UFC and other major MMA promotions never holding an event in Spain, the PFL’s event at the Palacio Vistalegre represents a landmark moment.
The delay largely comes down to the country not having any MMA world champions to rally behind, but that changed in 2024 when Ilia Topuria won the UFC featherweight title.
UFC president Dana White wanted to capitalise on Topuria’s reign by hosting an event in Spain, but the PFL acted first following Van Steenis’ success over Johnny Eblen last year for the PFL middleweight belt.
It’s a “dream come true” for Van Steenis to be defending his belt in Spain and can already feel the buzz from the capital.
He adds there are more than 6,000 posters in Madrid promoting the Edwards fight, while he’s had to turn down multiple interview requests from Spanish media so he “can focus on training”.
“I don’t know what’s bigger – winning the title or going to Madrid,” says Van Steenis.
“There’s going to be about 10 Spanish people fighting on the PFL card, one of the biggest MMA platforms in the world. In their home country. This opens the gate for MMA in Spain.”
