Elbert Steyn and his bus full of supporters set for PFL Africa
Elbert Steyn celebrates after submitting Given Majuba at EFC 118 last year. Steyn is unbeaten in his professional career. Photo: EFCWorldwide.
Image: EFCWorldwide.
After a six-year gap between his amateur and professional careers, South Africa’s Elbert Lukas Steyn is wasting no time and has been lapping up every moment during the build-up to PFL Johannesburg.
In its inaugural season, PFL Africa successfully rolled out the biggest international MMA show on African soil last month in Cape Town and is now set to follow it up with another humdinger show at Carnival City, Johannesburg, on Saturday, August 9.
On July 19, at the Grand Arena, the continent’s elite Bantam and Heavyweight stars threwdown in the quarter-final of the respective divisional tournaments, and this weekend, the Welter and Featherweight warriors aim to advance to the semi-final of their weight class competitions, with an eye on the finals taking place at the end of the year when PFL Africa will crown its very first PFL Africa champions.
Competing in the Featherweight division against Morocco’s Abderahman Errachidy, Steyn is battling to contain his excitement after getting the call to fight on one of the largest MMA platforms in the world.
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Speaking to the media this week, the man known as “Pikachu” spoke of the fulfillment of his dream.
“Man! PFL has always been a dream of mine. I rate them on the same level as the UFC. This is one of the biggest stages in the world,” said Steyn.
“The fact that the Professional Fighters League is here in Africa, running shows on African soil, damn, it makes it so much sweeter. I was so jealous of the vibe in Cape Town, but I know this crowd and atmosphere are going to be insane. This is history in the making, and we all get to be a part of it. So a big ‘thank you’ to PFL.”
After a promising amateur career (6-2) that included wins over the current PFL Bantamweight contender and former BRAVE CF Bantamweight champion Nkosi Ndebele, Steyn faced some challenges that had seen him move away from the fight game. His last fight was in 2017.
He then returned to the cage in 2023, this time, as a professional, debuting in Africa’s premier MMA promotion, the Extreme Fighting Championship. There, he went on a three-fight win streak with three first-round stoppages over Angelo Foloti, Felix Manga, and Given Majuba, respectively.
This weekend, he debuts in the PFL but admits that he has felt way more pressure before and can’t wait to step into the PFL smart cage on Saturday.
“Look, when you talk about pressure, in terms of the fight game, the one thing that we as fighters battle with, or most of us, is the weight cut, that is where you question yourself,” said Steyn.
“But this is not pressure for me. The most pressure I felt in my life was on my belly when I was overweight. Have you ever tried to tie your shoelaces with a fat stomach? Try going down to tie a knot with that, now that is pressure, my friend,” said Steyn, much to the amusement of the media present at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, this week.
Elbert Steyn lapped up the moment at Emperor’s Palace during the PFL Africa Media Day this week. Photo: PFL Africa
Image: PFL Africa
“I have been on both ends of the spectrum, from being close to a heart attack to doing what I love in front of thousands of people, and I can safely confirm, I would rather be the guy taking a chance in front of a big crowd than sitting on a couch, sad.”
Out of 20 fighters on this weekend’s fight card, Steyn will be the only South African athlete, but he has no qualms with that and knows the crowd will be behind him in his fight.
“My people are coming from as far as the Free State. That is about a four-hour drive. 30 of my people are jumping on a bus to support me. I am so grateful for my supporters and again to PFL for giving us this opportunity. We never really got a platform of this scale, but PFL made it happen, PFL brought the stage, and they know the potential of Africa. This event always plays a huge role in uniting Africa!
“So everybody can expect a show. You can expect a show!
Nigeria’s Patrick Ocheme, who will take on Mohamed Camara from Guinea in the main event, emphasised the importance of PFL Africa in providing a platform to local fighters.
“There are a lot of guys who are constantly training, just waiting for the opportunity to show the world what they can do. PFL Africa provides that opportunity to showcase our talents on a global stage.”
In total, 32 fighters representing 15 African nations will compete across the four PFL Africa divisions in 2025, as the league embarks on a continent-wide journey to crown the first-ever PFL Africa Champions.
FIGHT CARD
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)
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