Light Heavyweight Impa Kasanganay Secures Contract on PFL Challenger Series 7

In what ultimately turned into a battle of the highlights, light heavyweight Impa Kasanganay secured himself a Professional Fighters League contract during PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 7 on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Kasanganay (11-3) closed the show with a devastating first-round knockout of Osama ElSeady in the final bout of the four-fight card on FuboTV. ElSeady (8-3) and Kasanganay traded blows early in the round before the former’s gas tank depleted. The 29-year-old fighting out of Charlotte walked ElSeady across the cage before knocking him out cold with 45 seconds left in the opening frame.

Kasanganay won his second consecutive fight and secured the contract, but it’s debatable that he won the night.

In the fight prior, Taylor Johnson buried Trey Williams with an overhand right from the underworld in round 1.

Johnson ate several crisp shots before eventually timing Williams with an overhand right to the temple. Williams’ legs stiffened before giving out under Tombstone’s immense pressure. Johnson took Williams’ back and reigned down blows until the referee James Larry Folsom Jr. intervened.

Johnson’s won back-to-back fights since his 2-2 stint with Bellator MMA ended in 2021. He’s been plagued by inactivity, but looked sharp coming off a 13-month layoff. Johnson hasn’t fought twice in a year since 2021, but could return to the cage soon after the swift performance.

Johnson’s knockout of Williams set the stage for Kasanganay and both fighters arguably deserved contracts. Even celebrity judges, former UFC champions Tyron Woodley and Randy Couture disagreed on who deserved the contract.

Related » PFL Challenger Series 2023 Week 7 Round-by-Round Scoring

Elsewhere, Roland Dunlap (4-0 MMA) outclassed Monte Morrison in the opening bout, but a third-round blunder nearly cost “The Dream'' his unanimous decision victory (29-27, 29-27, 29-27). Dunlap opened the first round out slowly before securing a takedown and pinning Morrison against the fence. Dunlap capped the opening round with a pair of flying hammer hooks that dazed the Nigerian prospect (3-1 MMA).

Dunlap opened up the second round with a medley of body kicks and roundhouses before finishing the period dominantly in mount but he couldn’t close the show. With another opportunity to transition into mount, Dunlap landed an illegal knee on a grounded Morrison late in the third stanza. After shaking off the shot, Morrison finished the contest with his best combinations and even wobbled Dunlap. But it wasn’t enough. Dunlap evened the round 9-9 on all three scorecards and avoided letting the fight slip through his gloves.

Billy Elekana (5-1) dominated but missed his opportunity to finish Tristan Overvig (5-2). Elekana landed a flush double knee on the 23-year-old in the first round and stuffed numerous takedown attempts all night. Elekana, who trains at Uprising MMA, showcased his experience by smothering and mugging Overvig in the clinch against the cage. Elekana ended the fight landing hard, flush shots on a bloody Overvig and cruised to the unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), but his victory was overshadowed by back-to-back first round knockouts.