Costello van Steenis might have been in the first preliminary bout of PFL 2024 World Championships, but he delivered like a headliner.
In just 48 seconds, van Steenis set opponent Joao Dantas up for a devastating head kick that instantly robbed Dantas of his consciousness. The bout served as the opener for Friday’s league championship event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Watch the explosive knockout below.
HEADSHOT
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 29, 2024
COSTELLO VAN STEENIS WASTED NO TIME TO GET THE ACTION STARTED
[ #PFLWorldChampionship | TODAY | Early Card 7AM ET | 1PM ET | ESPN+] pic.twitter.com/pUKhiyNbdh
Van Steenis took his time sizing Dantas up before catching him lunging in with the fateful strike. Dantas crashed to the mat hard and van Steenis knew that no follow-up strikes were needed.
Though van Steenis is known for his kickboxing skills, knockouts have actually been few and far between for the 10 year veteran. His KO of Dantas was the first time van Steenis has finished a fight with strikes since July 2019, when he put away Mike Shipman in the main event of Bellator 233.
