PFL Pittsburgh Staff Picks: Former Middleweight King Battles Exciting Veteran
Making its way to Pennsylvania, PFL Pittsburgh is looking to end the month of March with a resounding bang. In the main event, former middleweight king Johnny Eblen goes toe-to-toe with UFC veteran Bryan Battle. In the second to last match of the ...
Making its way to Pennsylvania, PFL Pittsburgh is looking to end the month of March with a resounding bang. In the main event, former middleweight king Johnny Eblen goes toe-to-toe with UFC veteran Bryan Battle. In the second to last match of the evening, one-time light heavyweight tournament winner Impa Kasanganay tangles with Dalton Rosta.
PFL Pittsburgh Main Event
In the not-so-distant past, Eblen stood as easily one of the preeminent 185-lb fighters on planet earth as a defending Bellator champion with a lengthy undefeated record. Tasting defeat for the first time at PFL Champions Series 2 last July, “Pressure” will begin his run towards regaining his belt by picking apart the heavy-handed Battle in PFL Pittsburgh.
With an Ultimate Fighter title and seven UFC victories to his name, Battle makes his freshman walk to the smart cage with all the confidence in the world. Following a brief two-fight stint in Dirty Boxing Championship, where he won both those bouts by first-round knockout, “The Butcher” puts on the four ounce gloves once more.
PFL Pittsburgh Co-Main Event
Going 2-2 in his last four scraps, Kasanganay has struggled to reach the same heights that he had achieved over the course of his tournament winning run in 2023. Now back in his former division at middleweight, the Kill Cliff representative wants nothing more than to start his 2026 with a superb performance in PFL Pittsburgh.
Emerging as one of the PFL’s most exciting 185-lb athletes, Rosta had enjoyed much success over in 2024 and 2025, logging a trio of wins, with the most noteworthy of those three coming against 170-lb gold standard Sadibou Sy. Taking his first loss of his promotional tenure last year after a disappointing bout with Fabian Edwards, “Hercules” locks horns with an icon of the company in Kasanganay.
More Bouts On the PFL Pittsburgh Main Card
Also on the PFL Pittsburgh main card, Ariane da Silva meets Sumiko Inaba. Then, Julio Arce throws down with Alexei Pergande. Finally, Lazaro Dayron tests himself against Jacob Thrall.
PFL Pittsburgh Predictions and Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2025 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains.
Find our PFL Pittsburgh picks and fight odds below.
Staff records after UFC London:
- Hank Strandberg: 35-19
- Frazer Krohn: 32-23
- Drew Zuhosky: 22-31
- Andrew Benjamin: 6-10
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Lazaro Dayron -3300
Vs.
Jacob Thrall +1400
BANTAMWEIGHT
Hank Strandberg: Dayron by First Round Knockout
Drew Zuhosky: Dayron by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Thrall by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Dayron by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Dayron: 3
Staff picking Thrall: 1
Alexei Pergande -140
Vs.
Julio Arce +120
FEATHERWEIGHT
Hank Strandberg: Pergande by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Arce by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Arce by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Pergande by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Pergande: 2
Staff picking Arce: 2
Ariane da Silva -175
Vs.
Sumiko Inaba -150
WOMENS FLYWEIGHT
Hank Strandberg: da Silva by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: da Silva by First Round Submission
Frazer Krohn: da Silva by Third Round Submission
Andrew Benjamin: Inaba by Second Round Knockout
Staff picking da Silva: 3
Staff picking Inaba: 1
Dalton Rosta -170
Vs.
Impa Kasanganay +145
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Hank Strandberg: Kasanganay by Third Round Knockout
Drew Zuhosky: Rosta by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Kasanganay by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Kasanganay by First Round Knockout
Staff picking Kasanganay: 3
Staff picking Rosta: 1
Johnny Eblen -400
Vs.
Bryan Battle +300
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Hank Strandberg: Eblen by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Battle by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Eblen by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Eblen by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Eblen: 3
Staff picking Battle: 1
