Costello van Steenis

Van Steenis was born on 26 July 1992 in Rotterdam, Netherlands to a Dutch father and a Spanish-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.^[4] He considers Mousasi as a mentor and has stated he would not fight him.^[5]

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.^[6]

Making his Bellator debut, van Steenis faced Steve Skrzat on 20 October 2017, at Bellator 185.^[7] He won the bout by first-round submission.^[8]

Van Steenis faced Kevin Fryer on 25 May 2018, at Bellator 200. He won the fight by first-round TKO.^[9][10]

Van Steenis faced Chris Honeycutt at Bellator 210 on 30 November 2018. He won the bout by split decision.^[11]

Van Steenis faced Mike Shipman on 22 June 2019, at Bellator 223.^[12] He won the bout by knockout in the second round.^[13]

Van Steenis faced John Salter on 8 November 2019, in the main event of Bellator 233.^[14] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.^[15]

Van Steenis was scheduled to face Fabian Edwards on 16 May 2020, at Bellator London 3.^[16] However, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[17] The bout was rebooked for 26 September 2020 at Bellator Milan 2. He won the bout by split decision.^[18]

Van Steenis faced Kamil Oniszczuk on 29 October 2022, at Bellator 287.^[19] He won the bout by submission via brabo choke in the second round.^[20]

Van Steenis faced former Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima on 12 May 2023 at Bellator 296.^[21] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.^[22]

Van Steenis faced Gregory Babene at Bellator Champions Series 2 on 17 May 2024. He won the fight via submission in the second round.^[23]

Making his PFL debut, van Steenis faced João Vitor Dantas on 29 November 2024, at PFL 10.^[24] He won the bout by knockout in the first round.^[25]

Van Steenis faced Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen for the inaugural PFL Middleweight World Championship on 19 July 2025, at PFL Champions Series 2.^[26] He won the title via submission in the final seconds of round five.^[27]

Van Steenis made his first title defense against 2025 PFL Middleweight Tournament winner Fabian Edwards in a rematch on 20 March 2026, at PFL Champions Series 6.^[28] He won the bout via knockout in the third round.^[29]

Van Steenis has a scar on his face, caused by a bite of his grandmother's dog when he was two years old.^[30] He is the older brother of Gino van Steenis who is also a mixed martial artist.^[31]

• Professional Fighters League
  • PFL Middleweight World Championship (One time, inaugural, current)
    • One successful title defense
• Profesjonalna Liga MMA
  • PLMMA Middleweight Championship (One time)
• Sherdog
  • 2025 Submission of the Year vs. Johnny Eblen at PFL Champions Series 2^[32]
• MMA Junkie
  • 2025 Submission of the Yearvs. Johnny Eblen at PFL Champions Series 2^[33]
  • 2025 Comeback of the Year vs. Johnny Eblen at PFL Champions Series 2^[33]
• MMA Fighting
  • 2025 Submission of the Year vs. Johnny Eblen^[34]
• Fight Matrix
  • 2025 Most Lopsided Upset of the Year vs. Johnny Eblen^[35]