Impa Armond Kasanganay (born January 17, 1994) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the

Light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

division of

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

(PFL). He formerly competed in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

and

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

divisions of

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC).

Background

Born to Congolese immigrants, Kasanganay started his athletic career playing football, going on scholarship to Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2016, then 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.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

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.

Dana White’s Contender Series

Kasanganay was invited to Dana White's Contender Series 26 on August 27, 2019, where he defeated Kailan Hill via unanimous decision. 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 Anthony "Spice" Adams (born June 18, 1980) is an American television host, actor, comedian, and former football defensive tackle. After playing college football for Penn State, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of ...

via unanimous decision. With the win, he received a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kasanganay made his UFC debut against

Maki Pitolo Maki Ikaika Maleko Pitolo (born November 24, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Pitolo has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and B ...

on August 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Kasanganay, as a replacement for Abu Azaitar, faced

Joaquin Buckley Joaquin Yuconri Buckley (born April 27, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2014, he has also formerly competed for Bellator MM ...

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. Kasanganay faced

Sasha Palatnikov Sasha Palatnikov (born March 15, 1989) is a Hong Kong-born American mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Palatnikov, the son of a Russian father, who was a professional ...

on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland. After hurting Palatnikov, he secured a rear naked choke winning the fight via submission in the second round. Kasanganay faced Carlston Harris on September 18, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 192 ''UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 192'', ''UFC Vegas 37'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 50'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 18, 2021 at the UFC ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. On December 2, 2021, it was announced that Kasanganay was no longer on the UFC roster.

Post-UFC career

On January 19, 2022, news surfaced that Kasanganay had signed a contract with

Eagle Fighting Championship Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC), commonly referred to as Eagle FC, is a Russian mixed martial arts promoter (entertainment), promotion company established in 2020 by former UFC Lightweight Championship, UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagome ...

. He faced Raimond Magomedaliev at Eagle FC 46 on March 11, 2022. 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. Kasanganay lost the fight via split decision. Kasanganay faced

Jared Gooden Jared Alexander Gooden (born December 5, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2015, Gooden most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Bac ...

at XMMA 5 on July 23, 2022. He won the fight by a first-round TKO stoppage.

Professional Fighters League

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. Kasanganay returned to action three weeks later as he faced Cory Hendricks at PFL 1 on April 1, 2023. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Stepping in for a suspended fighter, Kasanganay entered the 2023 season against Tim Caron on June 8, 2023 at PFL 4. He won the fight via an arm-triangle choke submission in the second round. 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. In the final, Kasanganay is scheduled to face Josh Silveira on November 24, 2023 at PFL 10.

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kasanganay, Impa 1994 births Living people American male mixed martial artists American people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Lenoir–Rhyne University alumni Mixed martial artists from Florida Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters