Wikipedia

Impa Kasanganay

Impa Kasanganay (born January 17, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist[4] who competes in the Light heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). He formerly competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Impa Kasanganay
Born (1994-01-17) January 17, 1994 (age 30)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Other namesTshilobo
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
DivisionLight Heavyweight (2023–present)
Welterweight (2021–2022)
Middleweight (2019–2021, 2022, 2024)
Reach75 in (191 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofDeerfield Beach, Florida[2]
TeamKill Cliff FC (2021–present)[3]
Gym-O (2019–2021)
Years active2019–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total20
Wins16
By knockout4
By submission4
By decision8
Losses4
By knockout2
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background edit

Born to Congolese immigrants in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before moving to North Carolina at the age of 12. He attended Providence High School in Charlotte, where he started playing American football during his senior year.[5][6] Kasanganay earned a scholarship to Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2016, before turning his attention to the cage. During the beginnings of his MMA career, Impa worked as an accountant and holds three degrees, an associate degree in Business Administration and accounting, a Bachelor's in Accounting and a Bachelor's in Finance.[7][4][8]

Mixed martial arts career edit

Early career edit

Making his MMA debut at 864 Fighting Championship, Impa won his first bout via split decision against Garett Fosdyck. Kasanganay would go on to win his next 4 bouts on the regional scene, defeating Dahlen Willson at Island Fights 53 by unanimous decision, tapping out John Lewis in the first round at Island Fights 54, submitting Roger Pratcher via rear-naked choke in the first round at KOTC Rumble On The River 2, and then finally defeating Devorious Tubbs via split decision in his one and only outing with Legacy Fighting Alliance at LFA 71 on July 12, 2019.[9]

Dana White’s Contender Series edit

Kasanganay was invited to Dana White's Contender Series 26 on August 27, 2019, where he defeated Kailan Hill via unanimous decision.[10]

After not gaining a UFC contract on his first try, Impa was invited back to Dana White's Contender Series 28 on August 11, 2020, where he defeated Anthony Adams via unanimous decision. With the win, he received a UFC contract.[11]

Ultimate Fighting Championship edit

Kasanganay made his UFC debut against Maki Pitolo on August 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić.[12] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[13]

Kasanganay, as a replacement for Abu Azaitar, faced Joaquin Buckley on October 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. Buckley won the fight in spectacular fashion via spinning back kick knockout in the second round.[14]

Kasanganay faced Sasha Palatnikov on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland.[15] After hurting Palatnikov, he secured a rear naked choke winning the fight via submission in the second round.[16]

Kasanganay faced Carlston Harris on September 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 192.[17] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[18]

On December 2, 2021, it was announced that Kasanganay was no longer on the UFC roster.[19]

Post-UFC career edit

On January 19, 2022, news surfaced that Kasanganay had signed a contract with Eagle Fighting Championship.[20] He faced Raimond Magomedaliev at Eagle FC 46 on March 11, 2022.[21] At weigh-ins, Kasanganay weighed in at 179.2 pounds, 3.2 pounds over the super welterweight non-title limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and he was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Raimond.[22] Kasanganay lost the fight via split decision.[23]

Kasanganay faced Jared Gooden at XMMA 5 on July 23, 2022. He won the fight by a first-round TKO stoppage.[24]

Professional Fighters League edit

Kasanganay faced Osama Elseady on March 10, 2023 at PFL Challenger Series 15, winning the bout by TKO at the end of the first round, securing a PFL contract.[25]

Kasanganay returned to action three weeks later as he faced Cory Hendricks at PFL 1 on April 1, 2023.[26] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[27]

2023 season edit

Stepping in for a suspended fighter, Kasanganay entered the 2023 season against Tim Caron on June 8, 2023 at PFL 4.[28] He won the fight via an arm-triangle choke submission in the second round.[29]

In the semi-finals, he faced Marthin Hamlet at PFL 7 on August 4, 2023, winning the fight via knockout in the first round to advance to the finals.[30]

In the final, Kasanganay faced Josh Silveira on November 24, 2023 at PFL 10.[31] He won the fight via unanimous decision to win the 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Championship and $1 million collective dollar prize.[32]

2024 season edit

Kasanganay faced Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen in a three round non-title crossover fight, on February 24, 2024, at PFL vs. Bellator.[33] He lost the closely contested bout via split decision.[34][35]

Kasanganay started the 2024 season against Alex Polizzi on April 12, 2024 at PFL 2.[36] He won the bout by first-round technical knockout.[37]

Championships and accomplishments edit

Mixed martial arts record edit

Professional record breakdown
20 matches 16 wins 4 losses
By knockout 4 2
By submission 4 0
By decision 8 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16–4 Alex Polizzi TKO (punches) PFL 2 (2024) April 12, 2024 1 3:39 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 15–4 Johnny Eblen Decision (split) PFL vs. Bellator February 24, 2024 3 5:00 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Middleweight bout. For "PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion" Super Belt.
Win 15–3 Josh Silveira Decision (unanimous) PFL 10 (2023) November 24, 2023 5 5:00 Washington, D.C., United States Won the 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament.
Win 14–3 Marthin Hamlet KO (punches) PFL 7 (2023) August 4, 2023 1 2:24 San Antonio, Texas, United States 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 13–3 Tim Caron Submission (arm-triangle choke) PFL 4 (2023) June 8, 2023 2 3:52 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Win 12–3 Cory Hendricks Decision (unanimous) PFL 1 (2023) April 1, 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–3 Osama Elseady TKO (punches) PFL Challenger Series 15 March 10, 2023 1 4:15 Orlando, Florida, United States Light Heavyweight debut.
Win 10–3 Jared Gooden TKO (punches) XMMA 5 July 23, 2022 1 3:16 Columbia, South Carolina, United States Return to Middleweight.
Loss 9–3 Raimond Magomedaliev Decision (split) Eagle FC 46 March 11, 2022 3 5:00 Miami, Florida, United States Catchweight (179.2 lb) bout; Kasanganay missed weight.
Loss 9–2 Carlston Harris TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann September 18, 2021 1 2:38 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–1 Sasha Palatnikov Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland April 10, 2021 2 0:26 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Welterweight debut.
Loss 8–1 Joaquin Buckley KO (spinning back kick) UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen October 11, 2020 2 2:03 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 8–0 Maki Pitolo Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić August 29, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–0 Anthony Adams Decision (unanimous) Dana White's Contender Series 28 August 11, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–0 Kailan Hill Decision (unanimous) Dana White's Contender Series 26 August 27, 2019 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 5–0 Devorious Tubbs Decision (split) LFA 71 July 12, 2019 3 5:00 Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Win 4–0 Roger Pratcher Submission (rear-naked choke) KOTC: Rumble On The River 2 May 11, 2019 1 4:30 North Augusta, South Carolina, United States
Win 3–0 John Lewis Submission (verbal) Island Fights 54 March 22, 2019 1 1:58 Panama City Beach, Florida, United States
Win 2–0 Dahlen Wilson Decision (unanimous) Island Fights 53 March 6, 2019 3 5:00 Fort Walton Beach, Florida, United States
Win 1–0 Garrett Fosdyck Decision (split) 864 Fighting Championship: Showcase MMA January 25, 2019 3 5:00 Johnson City, Tennessee, United States Middleweight debut.

[38]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  2. ^ Behunin, Alex (14 March 2021). "With New Camp And New Weight Class, Best Is Yet To Come For UFC's Impa Kasanganay". Cageside Press. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  3. ^ Thomas Gerbasi (April 9, 2021). "Impa Kasanganay: Letting The Past Be The Past". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  4. ^ a b "Going Five Rounds with Impa Kasanganay". Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  5. ^ Zeltzer, Benjamin. (November 23, 2023). From Sleeping in his Car to Competing for $1 Million: The Impa Kasanganay Story. verdictmma.com. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  6. ^ https://lrbears.com/sports/football/roster/impa-kasanganay/656 Football - Senior-Rhyne University Athletics]. lrbears.com. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  7. ^ "Interview With Impa Kasanganay". Bloody Canvas. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Get to know Dana White's Contender Series fighter Impa "Tshilobo" Kasanganay | FightBookMMA". | FightBookMMA. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  9. ^ Painter, Myles (13 August 2020). "Across the Pond Profile: UFC fighter Impa Kasanganay | MMA UK". MMAUK. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  10. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2019-08-27). "Dana White's Contender Series results: TJ Brown, Peter Barrett, Dusko Todorovic signed on season finale". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  11. ^ "All 5 winners earn UFC contracts at DWCS Season 4: Week 2". MMA Fighting. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  12. ^ Staff (2020-08-13). "Kasanganay earns UFC contract; first fight set for Aug. 29". lrbears.com. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  13. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2020-08-29). "UFC Vegas 8 Results: Impa Kasanganay Defeats Maki Pitolo in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  14. ^ "Inside the viral knockout that made UFC middleweight Joaquin Buckley 'immortal'". ESPN. 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  15. ^ Marcel Dorff (2021-02-25). "Impa Kasanganay vs. Sasha Palatnikov toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 10 april". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  16. ^ Anderson, Jay (10 April 2021). "UFC Vegas 23 Results: Impa Kasanganay Bounces Back, Submits Sasha Palatnikov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  17. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2021-06-30). "Impa Kasanganay vs. Carlston Harris set for Sept. 18 UFC Fight Night event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  18. ^ Evanoff, Josh (2021-09-18). "UFC Vegas 37 Results: Carlston Harris Finishes Impa Kasanganay". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  19. ^ Martin, Damon (2021-12-02). "Impa Kasanganay released by UFC almost 3 months after second octagon loss". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  20. ^ Farah Hannoun (January 19, 2022). "Ex-UFC fighter Impa Kasanganay inks deal with Eagle FC, expected to debut in March". MMAjunkie.com.
  21. ^ Martin, Damon (2022-02-14). "Impa Kasanganay books first post-UFC fight against Raimond Magomedaliev at Eagle FC 46". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  22. ^ Heck, Mike (2022-03-10). "Eagle FC 46 weigh-in results: Kevin Lee, Diego Sanchez hit the mark for 165-pound headliner". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  23. ^ Martin, Damon (2022-03-11). "Eagle FC 46 results: Kevin Lee wins unanimous decision over Diego Sanchez but likely suffers major knee injury". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  24. ^ King, Nolan (2022-07-24). "10 ex-UFC fighters pick up four wins, six losses at XMMA 5". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  25. ^ Sherdog.com. "Light Heavyweight Impa Kasanganay Secures Contract on PFL Challenger Series 7". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  26. ^ "PFL 1". www.pflmma.com. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  27. ^ Sherdog.com. "2023 PFL 1 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  28. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2023-05-12). "PFL announces second-half event lineups following 9 fighters receiving drug test suspensions". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  29. ^ "PFL 4 results: Jesus Pinedo stuns Brendan Loughnane with first-round knockout". MMAFighting. June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  30. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-08-04). "PFL 7: Impa Kasanganay Drops Marthin Hamlet with Walk-Off KO, Advances to Final". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  31. ^ "Meet the 2023 PFL finalists, including three potential repeat $1 million winners". MMA Junkie. 2023-08-25. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  32. ^ Dewar, Val (2023-11-25). "Impa Kasanganay Shuts Out Josh Silveira, Wins PFL Championship and $1,000,000". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  33. ^ "Bellator MMA vs. PFL supercard: Four champion vs. champion fights set for February in Saudi Arabia". CBSSports.com. 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  34. ^ "PFL vs. Bellator: Champions results: Johnny Eblen rallies to win split over Impa Kasanganay". sports.yahoo.com.
  35. ^ Dewar, Val (2024-02-24). "PFL vs. Bellator: Johnny Eblen Earns Nod Over Impa Kasanganay in Card's Best Battle". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  36. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2024-03-11). "PFL announces full line-ups for first 3 season events, 8 ex-Bellator champions debut". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  37. ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-04-13). "PFL 2: Impa Kasanganay Lights Up Alex Polizzi, Secures First Round TKO". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  38. ^ Sherdog.com. "Impa Kasanganay". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.

External links edit

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