Impa Kasanganay isn’t going to let his first fight loom too much as he prepares for his scheduled bout against Joshua Silveira next weekend.
Kasanganay and Silveira will headline the light heavyweight semifinals of PFL8 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. on Aug. 16. The two fought in last season’s finals in November 2023, when Kasanganay won by unanimous decision to take home $1 million and rise to stardom as the promotion’s light heavyweight champion.
However, Kasanganay sees the upcoming encounter as a “new fight” and not a rematch. While acknowledging his opponent’s skill, “Tsirobo” said he hopes Silveira has overcome his previous loss.
“I expect Josh to show the best of himself. Josh is a solid fighter. Smart and well-coached. It’s not a rematch for me. It’s a whole new fight. Last year is in the past. They always say burn the ships, but what about the title?,” Kasanganay told Sherdog.com.
“For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s Dobrett or Josh or somebody across the street. I’m going to beat them. I don’t care what their motivation is, what their discipline is. On August 16th, I’ll finish with my hands up. The job’s not done. This is the fight path.”
Once famous for his notorious knockout loss to Joaquin Buckley at UFC, Kasanganay has won eight of his last nine fights. The Congolese-American’s only loss was a close split decision to Bellator MMA middleweight champion Johnny Eblen in an off-season bout in April of this year. Since then, he’s racked up consecutive stoppage wins in the regular season and reached the PFL semifinals. This will be Kasanganay’s fourth fight of the year in six months, but he loves fighting and isn’t tired.
“I’m grateful,” he said. “It’s a job I love, so it doesn’t feel like a burden. It’s like a prayer. When I look at my work as a whole, I always think I can do better. I challenge my work as a whole, because I know I can still do better.”
