PFL Africa fight card for Carnival City revealed
Gambia's Ibrahima Mané is no stranger to the South African MMA scene after he competed in the very first EFC - The Fighter Series back in 2017. Here he can be seen against Algeria's Abd El Driai inside the EFC Hexagon. Mané will face Angola's Shido Boris Esperanca in a Welterweight match-up as they chase PFL Africa gold. Photo: EFCWorldWide
Image: EFCWorldWide
It’s official! The PFL Africa fight card for Johannesburg is confirmed!
Following a groundbreaking inaugural event in Cape Town two weeks back, the Professional Fighters League will roll out its second show of the newly-launched PFL Africa franchise with an eye on crowning its first PFL Africa champions at the end of this year.
At the Grand Arena in Goodwood, Cape Town, eight Bantamweights and Heavyweights in total advanced to the semi-final of their respective divisional tournaments.
This time around, at the Big Top Arena, Carnival City, Johannesburg, the Feather and Welterweights will enter the Smart Cage as they fight for a shot at PFL Africa Gold and a chance to open bigger doors within the PFL business model.
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The main event in Johannesburg will be a must-see first-round matchup in the Featherweight Division, with Nigeria’s Patrick Ocheme (6-1) taking on Guinea’s Mohamed Camarta (5-2-1), while the co-main event will be Angola’s Shido Boris Esperanca (9-1) facing Gambia’s Ibrahima Mané (14-5).
In Cape Town, fans were treated to a spectacular night of fights as African stars and international athletes all competed under the bright lights of the Grand West Casino and Entertainment World.
The show featured the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, with renowned names like Dakota Ditcheva, AJ McKee, Corey Anderson, and Costello van Steenis helping to get the crowd on their feet and excited once again after Cape Town was starved of high-level MMA following the EFC’s decision to only host shows in Johannesburg.
In the main event, Spain's Van Steenis pulled off one of the biggest comeback wins in MMA history, submitting previously undefeated Johnny Eblen (USA) with just seconds left in the fifth and final round to become the new PFL Middleweight World Champion.
In the co-main event, 2024 PFL Women’s Flyweight Champion Ditcheva of the United Kingdom put on a striking masterclass as she outstruck Sumiko Inaba of the United States to earn a unanimous decision victory.
Next week’s PFL Africa fight card - which includes eight tournament fights and two extra alternate bouts - takes place on Saturday, August 9 and starts at 6 pm SAST (noon EST).
The event will be aired on SuperSport (Africa - English) | Canal+ (Africa - French) and the PFL App (U.S.).
Tickets can be purchased on TicketPro: https://shop.ticketpro.co.za/event/pfl-africa-ijy7qt.
Featherweight First Round Main Event: Patrick Ocheme (6-1) vs. Mohamed Camara (5-2-1)
Welterweight First Round Co-Main Event: Shido Boris Esperanca (9-1) vs. Ibrahima Mané (14-5)
Welterweight First Round Bout: British Boloyang (3-1) vs. Octave Ayinda (5-0)
Welterweight First Round Bout: Sanon Sadeck (7-2) vs. Yabna N’tchala (11-2-1)
Welterweight First Round Bout: Osvaldo Benedito (3-1) vs. Emilios Dassi (4-1-0)
Featherweight First Round Bout: Wasi Adeshina (7-3) vs. Jean Jacques Lubaya (9-1)
Featherweight First Round Bout: Wilker Nsamo (7-0) vs. Dwight Joseph (14-2, 1 NC)
Featherweight First Round Bout: Elbert Steyn (3-0) vs. Abderahman Errachidy (4-1)
Featherweight Alternate Bout: Abdoul Razac Sankara (6-3) vs. Shadrick Yemba (4-0)
Welterweight Alternate Bout: Desmond Tamungang (5-0) vs. Kunle Lawal (2-1)
IOL Sport