MMA Junkie’s 2025 Comeback of the Year: Costello van Steenis shocks Johnny Eblen

In a year full of great come-from-behind victories, one stood alone both in stakes and Hail Mary-esque lateness.

Costello van Steenis was down – and down big as his PFL title fight entered the final minute. Then-champion Johnny Eblen, touted as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC was dominant, in one-sided, monotonous fashion. The bout took place July 19 at PFL Africa 1 in Cape Town, South Africa.

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That’s when van Steenis (17-3) pulled a rabbit out of his hat. Down on the scorecards, the challenger became a champion when he slickly submitted Eblen (16-1) with a rear-naked choke at 4:51 of Round 5 – with just nine seconds left on the clock. The tap came, and with it, PFL middleweight title gold for van Steenis.

One of the greatest and most exciting things about MMA is the ability for a fighter to win in an instant. It’s a trait that differentiates combat sports from the rest of the bunch, and van Steenis put that on full display.

Substance, meaning, flair and improbability. The finish had it all. That’s why van Steenis’ submission of Eblen is the 2025 MMA Junkie Comeback of the Year.

Van Steenis’ may have been the best, but there are some runner-up honorable mentions that weren’t too far behind. Check out some of the other incredible comebacks that deserve a nod below.

Honorable mentions

• Cesar Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan – UFC Fight Night 249

• Jiri Prochazka def. Khalil Rountree – UFC 311

• Cody Brundage def. Julian Marquez – UFC Fight Night 253

• Charles Johnson def. Lone’er Kavanagh – UFC Fight Night 257

• Mason Jones def. Bolaji Oki – UFC Fight Night 258

• Neil Magny def. Jake Matthews – UFC Fight Night 260

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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie’s 2025 Comeback of the Year: PFL title fight has buzzer-beating shocker