Back to the MMA Newsfeed

Bellator 200’s Costello van Steenis nearly chose Dutch army over MMA

Costello van Steenis was always inclined to pursue a career involving combat, though the sport aspect didn’t come into play until much later.

“The Spaniard” competes in his second Bellator bout this Friday when he meets Kevin Fryer on the preliminary portion of Bellator 200 at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London on Friday.

Though he’s found early success in MMA, winning nine of his first 10 pro bouts, van Steenis’s interest in the sport originated from him simply wanting to learn to defend himself. A native of the Netherlands, his training began in Spain and that experience nearly led to him defending his home country.