Rivalries: Impa Kasanganay

Impa Kasanganay’s quest for a repeat in the Professional Fighters League brings him to the doorstep of a familiar adversary.

The 30-year-old Kill Cliff Fight Club rep will face Joshua Silveira for the second time in less than a year when their rematch in the light heavyweight semifinals headlines PFL 8 on Aug. 16 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Kasanganay enters the cage having won eight of his past nine bouts. He posted a perfect 2-0 record during the regular season with back-to-back technical knockouts of Alex Polizzi and Jakob Nedoh.

As Kasanganay approaches his high-stakes showdown with Silveira at 205 pounds, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Joaquin Buckley

The St. Louis native ensured his permanent residence on future Ultimate Fighting Championship highlight reels when he knocked out Kasanganay with a spinning back kick to the face in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 179 middleweight prelim on Oct. 10, 2020 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It ended 2:03 into Round 2. The two men engaged in a firefight, until Buckley authored an all-time finish. Kasanganay—a short-notice fill-in for Abu Azaitar—blocked a head kick and caught the Bellator MMA veteran’s foot. However, he held on and lingered in open space for too long. Buckley immediately transitioned to a spinning back kick, his heel connecting to the face with concussive force. Kasanganay froze and collapsed backward. No follow-up shots were necessary.

Carlston Harris

The former Brave Combat Federation titleholder put away Kasanganay with first-round punches as part of the UFC Fight Night 192 undercard on Sept. 18, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “Tshilobo” succumbed to blows 2:38 into Round 1. Operating in the shadow of the Anthony Smith-Ryan Spann main event, Harris chipped away with chopping right hands, basic combinations and body kicks, then flipped the switch. He dazed Kasanganay with a right hook, floored him with a left and pounced with punches and hammerfists. Referee Mark Smith was on the scene soon after and waved it off once it became clear Kasanganay had passed the point of no return. He parted ways with the UFC the following December.

Joshua Silveira

Kasanganay on Nov. 24, 2023 laid claim to the Professional Fighters League light heavyweight title and a life-altering $1 million prize with a five-round unanimous decision over the American Top Team export in a featured PFL 10 attraction at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. Scores were 50-45 across the board. Kasanganay—who had submitted Tim Caron and knocked out Marthin Hamlet to reach the 205-pound final—proved to be the superior competitor in all phases and showed he had the goods necessary to sustain him for the long haul. Basic one-twos, power punching combinations, well-disguised kicks and sound takedown defense were all on display for the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native, as he routinely forced Silveira onto his back foot and into a defensive state. Kasanganay did some of his best work in a pivotal Round 3, where he sprawled on an attempted takedown from his counterpart, transitioned seamlessly from defense to offense and twice threatened with submissions, following a pass at a rear-naked choke with a bid for an arm-triangle.

Johnny Eblen

The reigning Bellator MMA middleweight champion passed arguably his sternest test to date with a three-round split decision over Kasanganay in the “PFL vs. Bellator Champs” co-headliner on Feb. 24, 2024 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All three judges struck 29-28 scorecards: Hadi Mohamed Ali and Ben Cartlidge for Eblen, Mark Collett for Kasanganay. Takedowns, top control and intermittent ground-and-pound carried the undefeated Eblen across the finish line. Nevertheless, Kasanganay authored the most memorable sequence of the 15-minute affair in Round 2, where he staggered the American Top Team ace, denied his bids for desperation takedowns and poured on the punishment for a near finish. Eblen survived, managed to recover and fought through fatigue down the stretch. He tied a bow on the victory with a third-round takedown, as he advanced to Kasanganay’s back, secured his position with a body triangle and assaulted him with clock-killing punches from behind.