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| (Image Source: Professional Fighters League) |
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is officially launching PFL Africa, the organization’s third international league, with a historic debut event on July 26, 2025 at the GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa featuring the launch of the 2025 PFL Africa Tournament, beginning with First Round matchups in the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions. Each division will feature an eight-man bracket, with fighters advancing through semifinals and finals. In addition, the event will be headlined by five PFL Champions Series: Road To Dubai bouts. In the World Title main event, undefeated Middleweight World Champion Johnny Eblen (16-0) meets Spain’s Costello van Steenis (16-3). In the co-main event, undefeated 2024 PFL World Champion Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) takes on Hawaii’s Sumiko Inaba (8-1).
The launch of PFL Africa is bolstered by strategic distribution partnerships with Canal+, ensuring broad coverage across sub-Saharian Africa. In addition, SuperSport is also a distributor, ensuring broad coverage across the region. To further expand accessibility, PFL has introduced a mobile-first platform, distributed in partnership with CFM (Content For Mobile), exclusively via the region’s leading telcos, delivering affordable fight content directly to fans across Africa. With these combined efforts, PFL Africa immediately becomes one of the most accessible sports leagues on the continent, and is on track to reach over 90% of African households. PFL Africa will be led by global MMA icon Francis Ngannou as Chairman, who will play a central role in developing the next generation of African champions and shaping the league’s long-term growth. Helios Sports & Entertainment Group, known for its strategic investment in NBA Africa, joins as a key capital partner. Elias Schulze, a seasoned executive with nearly two decades of experience in strategy, finance, and operations across over 20 African markets, has been appointed General Manager of PFL Africa to oversee its launch and expansion. The inaugural PFL Africa Tournament will feature eight-man brackets in each weight class, starting with the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions. The full tournament schedule and host cities for the semifinals and finals, will be announced in the coming weeks. In the First Round of the Heavyweight bracket, Jashell Ticha Awa (3-1) of Cameroon faces Justin Clarke (2-0) of South Africa while Abdoullah Kane (3-0) of Senegal meets Mohammad Ben Yahia (9-4) of Morocco. On the other hand, in the Bantamweight bracket, Nkosi Ndebele (8-3) of South Africa takes on Mahmoud Atef (5-2) of Egypt while Simbarashe Hokonya (5-0) of Zimbabwe battles Abderrahman Errachidy (4-1) of Morocco. The remaining tournament bouts will be announced soon.
“Kicking off the PFL Champions Series in Cape Town alongside the launch of PFL Africa reflects our commitment to grow the sport of MMA throughout the continent as well as provide pathways for African fighters to compete on a global stage and become champions. With PFL Europe, PFL MENA and now PFL Africa launching, PFL’s international growth strategy and footprint is unmatched in the sport. This is all made possible by building a great team. I'm proud to partner with Francis Ngannou and Helios Sports & Entertainment Group and excited to welcome Elias Schulze as GM of PFL Africa,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “We are proud to partner with the Professional Fighters League to help bring PFL Africa to life. This initiative aligns with Helios’ mission to back high-growth, high-impact ventures across the continent. With the leadership of Francis Ngannou and a strong local foundation, PFL Africa has the potential to become a transformative platform for African athletes, fans, and the broader sports ecosystem,” said Helios Investment Partners Co-Founders and Managing Partners Towa Lawani and Babatunde Soyoye.
