Kasanganay has earned a $1 million prize and is setting his sights on fighting champion fighters like Nemkov, Eblen, and Ngannou, emphasizing his desire to compete against the best in the world.
Impa Kasanganay is now a world champion and $1 million richer after his win in the PFL World Championship 2023. Coming off a stunning eight-month campaign that saw him earn a spot in the league with a victory on its Challenger Series, and then go 4-0 inside the SmartCage to claim a light heavyweight tournament title, Kasanganay has his sights set even higher. The PFL recently acquired Bellator MMA, and that promotion’s light heavyweight titleholder, Vadim Nemkov, could meet Kasanganay in a champion vs. champion bout. Another option is a return to middleweight to face undefeated Bellator champion Johnny Eblen.
In an interview, Kasanganay shared his desire to fight more. He expressed interest in having an eight-fight season, stating, “I’d love to fight Nemkov and Ngannou. Johnny Eblen may come up, I believe my dog Aaron Jeffery is next in line to fight Eblen and get that Bellator title, whatever God’s plan is. I love to stay active, I love to fight. I’m ready to go back in the gym.” Although moving up to the heavyweight division seems unlikely for Kasanganay, he remains confident in the possibility of fighting Ngannou, emphasizing that anything is possible with God.
Kasanganay expressed his willingness to travel anywhere in the world to fight the best of the best, even stating that he would fight Ngannou in Antarctica, despite hating the cold. He stated that respect is the basis of his callout of Ngannou and that he’s still working on making a name for himself, willing to grind more to earn a fight with Ngannou further down the line. Emphasizing his single-minded focus on becoming the best of the best, Kasanganay also expressed respect for Ngannou and the opportunity to compete against him, stating, “Thank you for being a great African champion, thank you for all you’ve done. Let’s get it. Let’s fight in the cage, let’s do the PFL Africa inaugural fight. I’ll meet you in Saudi Arabia, I’ll meet you in South Africa. I have all the respect, I’ll never disrespect you.”