Silveira dislikes van Steenis playing down PFL tournament title
Josh Silveira speaks to MMA Junkie and other media following his decision win over Murad Ramazanov at Thursday’s 2025 PFL World Tournament 10.
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – PFL middleweight Josh Silveira doesn’t appreciate the division’s Champions Series titleholder, Costello van Steenis, downplaying the significance of the promotion’s tournament title.
Van Steenis (17-3) won the title by pulling off an incredible last-minute comeback submission of Johnny Eblen. Other PFL middleweights, including Silveira (15-5), competed in the 2025 World Tournament, which awards a $500,000 check to the winner and a new title belt.
“They’re fighting for the ‘B’ belt and I’ve got the ‘A’ belt,” van Steenis recently told MMA Junkie.
While in theory, the PFL Champions Series is supposed to feature the most prominent fighters under the promotion’s umbrella, there are still many high-level fighters with name value who compete in the World Tournament brackets.
Competing for the middleweight tournament championship were Fabian Edwards and Dalton Rosta – a fight Edwards won by spectacular knockout.
Plus, Silveira believes the tournament is a different beast in its own right.
“Don’t take those guys’ shine away, because it’s their night,” Silveira told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a post-fight news conference at 2025 PFL 10. “When you’re in the crowd, learn to applause. When you’re on stage, learn to perform. It’s Dalton and Fabian’s night to go figure it out. There’s no ‘A-B’ belt – that’s a tournament style.
“I invite Costello to try the tournament. It’s a lot harder than you think, man. A lot harder than you think. It’s not just the fighting part, man. I believe it’s 16 weeks of camp, or however you want to call it. Sixteen weeks of just chaos and trying to balance.”
Beyond the criticizm of the tournament, Silveira thinks van Steenis should pump the brakes on talking too big when he narrowly escaped defeat against Eblen.
“His fight was super close, and we all know that,” Silveira said. “Johnny was winning that fight easily. So, ‘A-B’ belt – I’m not taking anything from him either, but leave those guys alone. Let them go win their belt.”
