WASHINGTON, D.C. – The PFL crowned its newest $1 million light heavyweight winner Friday.
No. 1 seed Josh Silveira (12-1) met No. 3 Impa Kasanganay (14-3) in the 205-pound season championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.
Go inside the matchup below, from the backstory and the buildup through the end of the fight itself, with stats, photos, preview videos, highlight videos, quotes, recaps and more.
The story will update throughout the fight and event.
How we got here
Silveira submitted Sam Kei in his opening bout, then got a first-round injury stoppage finish over Delan Monte for 12 points and the top seed. In the semifinals, he took out Ty Flores with a first-round TKO.
Kasanganay had a first-round knockout at the PFL’s Challenger Series in March to get into the season. He outworked Cory Hendricks in his first fight in the regular season, then submitted Tim Caron in the second round to reach the playoffs. In the semifinals, he took out Marthin Hamlet with a first-round knockout for his fifth straight win.
Josh Silveira vs. Impa Kasanganay: Weigh-ins
Joshua Silveira vs Impa Kasanganay is ON for the 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight World Title!
[Fri, Nov 24th | 8pm ET on ESPN+PPV|🔗 https://t.co/9tors69QSM| #PFLWorldChampionship] pic.twitter.com/RQ2VrrALBB
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 23, 2023
Fight Day messages
Final betting odds
Kasanganay closed as about a -200 favorite; the comeback on Silveira was +165.
Josh Silveira vs. Impa Kasanganay: The fight
Records: Silveira (12-1), Kasanganay (14-3)
Round 1: Kasanganay opened strong and kept the pressure on Silveira for most of the round. There were a few exciting scrambles, but Kasanganay appeared to be the favorite for a reason.
Round 2: Kasanganay was quicker to the punch throughout, and never appeared to be tired at all – while Silveira looked like he was breathing heavily after the first five minutes.
Round 3: It was mostly one-way traffic again for Kasanganay, though Silveira stuck around and stayed in the fight, even if he almost certainly was down 3-0.
Round 4: Kasanganay looked good heading past 15 minutes for the first time in his career, and it continued to be a dominant performance.
Round 5: Silveira’s dad and coach was firm between rounds that if he didn’t get a finish, he’d lose. Silveira looked his best midway through the final round, but it clearly was too little, too late.
Slick grappling exchanges from both Light Heavyweights!#PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN+ PPV
🔗 https://t.co/9tors69QSM
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/K3ne7gOxy4— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023
Listen in to Conan Silveira's advice for Josh#PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW
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🔗 https://t.co/9tors69QSM
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/tzKVE0f7XT— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023
Under the NECK!!! Josh is able to get out #PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW
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🔗 https://t.co/9tors6aoIk
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomD5xg pic.twitter.com/WuQdEZhi4K— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023
Conan Silveira doing his best to get Josh Silveira to chase the finish in the 5th round#PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN+ PPV
🔗 https://t.co/9tors69QSM
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/EpiYVdgEz1— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023
The aftermath
After the PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, the winner will be in line for a potential fight against Bellator 205-pound titleholder Vadim Nemkov.
Winner post-fight interview
From Challenger to Champion, Impa Kasanganay has done it! HISTORY MADE#PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN+ PPV
🔗 https://t.co/9tors69QSM
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/rlGAucSMjS— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023
Fight stats
Fight photos
Impa Kasanganay with Mike Bohn
PFL's 2023 champions
Here they are your 2023 PFL World Champions! 3 new 2x Champions and 3 New 1st time Champions! Another season in the books!#PFLWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/H3uQQCoeMK
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 25, 2023
