PFL Austin Results: Eblen Knocks Out Kasanganay, But the Undercard Belonged to a Twister Submission

Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27

Eblen Takes the Interim Title

Johnny Eblen and Impa Kasanganay traded even through two rounds before Eblen found the finishing sequence in round three, tagging Kasanganay with an elbow that visibly rocked him, then following up with strikes until the referee stepped in. The stoppage handed Eblen the vacant PFL interim middleweight championship and set up a showdown with Costello Van Steenis, who faced off with Eblen after the win.

It was a striking-driven finish in a promotion that has increasingly leaned on wrestling and grappling talent at the top of its middleweight division, which made the two submissions further down the card feel like the more technically interesting story of the night.

Eblen has built his run through the division largely on wrestling-heavy control rather than knockout power, so finishing this one on the feet was a notable change of pace. It signals a more complete fighter heading into a unification bout, one who can win a decision by riding out top position or end things early if the striking opportunity is there.

A Clean Rear-Naked Choke From Do Nascimento

Rafael do Nascimento finished Lewis McGrillen with a rear-naked choke in round two, taking the back and working through defensive hand fighting until the choke was fully locked. It is the same fundamental sequence that ends fights across every level of MMA and BJJ competition, from a small local gym to a national PFL card, and it remains one of the most reliable finishes in the sport for exactly that reason.

The Twister Is the Rarest Finish in the Sport

The night's most technically unusual finish belonged to Gamid Khizriev, who submitted Biaggio Ali Walsh with a twister in round one. The twister, a spinal-lock variation popularized in modern no-gi jiu-jitsu, is a genuinely rare finish at the professional MMA level because it requires an opponent to turn away from back control at exactly the wrong moment, a mistake most experienced fighters are trained to avoid.

Seeing it land cleanly on a live PFL card is a reminder of how much modern no-gi grappling has fed directly into MMA finishing sequences over the last decade. Submissions that used to live exclusively on the competitive grappling circuit are now showing up, successfully, inside the cage.

That crossover did not happen by accident. Coaches who cut their teeth on the no-gi tournament scene have spent years bringing leg entanglement and back-attack concepts into MMA gyms, and cornermen now drill scrambles that would have looked exotic a decade ago. Fighters who spend real time on those positions in the room are the ones who can recognize and finish a scramble like this live, under pressure, in front of a crowd, rather than freezing up the moment the position gets unfamiliar.

5 Reasons Grappling Fans Should Care About This Card

A knockout headlined the night, but the submissions are what is worth studying.

1. The Twister Requires a Specific Mistake: Khizriev's finish only works because his opponent turned the wrong way while defending back control, a detail worth drilling in your own back-defense training.
2. The RNC Never Goes Out of Style: Do Nascimento's finish is the single most common fight-ending submission across MMA and BJJ for a reason: it is simple, and it works.
3. No-Gi Concepts Are Now Mainstream MMA Tools: Both finishes on this card came from modern no-gi grappling concepts rather than traditional catch wrestling holds.
4. Interim Titles Set Up Bigger Fights: Eblen's win sets a clear path toward a unification bout, keeping the middleweight division's biggest matchup alive.
5. Grappling Wins Fights Even on Strike-Heavy Cards: Two of the cleanest finishes of the night had nothing to do with striking power, a good reminder for MMA fans who undervalue mat work.

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