| Costello van Steenis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 July 1992 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Other names | The Spaniard |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Division | Middleweight |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) [1] |
| Fighting out of | Vlaardingen, Netherlands |
| Team | MMA Vlaardingen |
| Years active | 2014-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 3 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By decision | 3 |
| 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.
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]
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]
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 210 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]
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] The following month, he reached No. 7 in the middleweight rankings according to Fight Matrix. [27]
Van Steenis is the older brother of Gino van Steenis who is also a mixed martial artist. [28]
| 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. |