Impa Kasanganay won’t dwell on his initial meeting with Joshua Silveira going into their upcoming clash next weekend.
Kasanganay and Silveira will headline PFL 8 in a light heavyweight semifinal matchup on Aug. 16 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The two previously met at last season’s final in November 2023, when Kasanganay earned a unanimous decision victory to win $1 million and rise to stardom as the promotion’s light heavyweight champion.
However, Kasanganay is considering their upcoming clash a “new hunt” rather than a rematch. Acknowledging his opponent’s skillset, “Tshilobo” says he expects Silveira to have put the previous loss behind him.
“I expect Josh to be the best version of himself. Josh is a solid fighter; he’s smart and coached well. To me, it’s not a rematch. It’s a whole new hunt. Last year is behind us. I always say burn the ships, so, what title?” Kasanganay told Sherdog.com.
“For me, I could care less if it was Dovlet, Josh, or some guy down the street, I take them out. I don’t care what their motivation is, I don’t care what their discipline is. Aug. 16 I finish with my hand raised, the job’s not finished. It’s a war path.”
Once known primarily for a viral KO loss against Joaquin Buckley in the UFC, Kasanganay has now won eight of his last nine outings. The Congolese-American only dropped a close split decision against Bellator MMA middleweight champ Johnny Eblen in a non-season bout this past April. He has since scored back-to-back stoppage wins in the regular season to advance to the PFL semifinals. While his upcoming clash marks his fourth outing of the year within a six-month span, Kasanganay isn’t worn down by the grind because he loves it so much.
“I’m grateful,” he said.”It’s a grind that you love so it’s not like it’s overbearing. These are the things that you pray for. The overall body of work, I look at it as I can always be better. I’m challenged by this overall body of work because I know I can still do so much better.”
