PFL winner’s circle: A.J. McKee, Costello van Steenis, others offer early 2026 reflections

The Professional Fighters League has seen plenty of movement in its first year under a traditional rankings system, as the company distances itself from the tournament format for which it was once known. The change has also resulted in the organization making a concerted effort to invest in its most recognizable and accomplished competitors. Over the past month alone, the PFL has traveled to Madrid, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Belfast, Northern Ireland, with many of those shows featuring native sons and daughters. Those four events have cleared up the title picture in several divisions while also allowing fast risers to elevate their respective names into high-level matches.

A world class welterweight clash headlines PFL Sioux Falls: Tune in Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

In this inaugural addition of the PFL winner’s circle, we dive into what some of the promotion’s biggest winners over the past month had to say:

A.J. McKee

“I don’t care who it is, what organization or what’s going on, [the] PFL’s got the best 145-pounder in the world. I know that. If other people don’t believe it, well, I’m willing to show it. I enjoy my life. That’s my money, man. I go in there, don’t get hurt, wait for that call and [get] right back into deployment. The ‘Mercenary’ is going to take somebody out again.”

Costello van Steenis

“I am the guy that’s going to take the company to the next level, 100%. I’m going to work for it. My dream was to become a champion in one of the biggest organizations in the world. I did that. Now, I did not believe I would be taking one of the biggest organizations in the world to Madrid, Spain, but I did that. You need to dream bigger. Just dream as far as you can without thinking you can fail. So now, my next dream is to not only be the face [of the company] but knowing that I’m the man that can take the organization to the next level. I’m down for anything that the PFL wants to do to help the company grow.”

Johnny Eblen

“I think [the rematch with Costello is] the biggest fight you can make for the PFL. It’s the biggest fight in my career. Actually, not my career. It’s going to be the biggest fight for Costello’s career, though. My biggest fight was when I originally won the title, but maybe this is the second biggest. After it’s done—you never know how it’s going to go—maybe it’s the biggest. Regardless, it’s the biggest fight that the PFL can make, and I think fans all around the world want to see this fight again.”