PFL Africa Launches With Historic Event In Cape Town

Professional Fighters League (PFL) Expands to Africa, Partnering with Francis Ngannou

The PFL's expansion into Africa marks a significant milestone, fulfilling a key promise to Francis Ngannou, who now assumes a leadership role in the development of PFL Africa. The launch event, a historic occasion, will take place at the GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa. This event will feature the inaugural 2025 PFL Africa Tournament, showcasing heavyweight and bantamweight matchups.

The main card will feature two highly anticipated bouts: Bellator middleweight champion and PFL kingpin Johnny Eblen defending his title against Costello van Steenis of Spain, and PFL star Dakota Ditcheva facing Sumiko Inaba in the co-main event. These fights are part of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, with three additional matchups to be announced soon.

Peter Murray, CEO of the PFL, emphasized the organization's commitment to growing MMA in Africa and providing opportunities for African fighters. He highlighted the PFL's expanding international presence, including PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and now PFL Africa, and praised the partnerships with Francis Ngannou, Helios Sports & Entertainment Group, and Elias Schulze, the newly appointed General Manager of PFL Africa.

PFL Africa secures distribution partnerships with Canal and SuperSport, ensuring broad reach across sub-Saharan Africa. A mobile-first platform, developed in partnership with CFM (Content for Mobile), aims to make PFL content accessible and affordable to a vast audience, potentially reaching 90% of African households.

Ngannou's role as Chairman of PFL Africa is pivotal, focusing on nurturing the next generation of African MMA champions and driving the league's long-term growth. Helios Sports & Entertainment Group, an investor in NBA Africa, provides key capital support.

"This initiative aligns with Helios’ mission to back high-growth, high-impact ventures across the continent," stated a Helios Investment Partners Co-Founder and Managing Partner.

The PFL Africa Tournament's initial matchups include:

Heavyweights:

• Jashell Ticha Awa (Cameroon) vs. Justin Clarke (South Africa)
• Abdoullah Kane (Senegal) vs. Mohammad Ben Yahia (Morocco)

Bantamweights:

• Nkosi Ndebele (South Africa) vs. Mahmoud Atef (Egypt)
• Simbarashe Hokonya (Zimbabwe) vs. Abderrahman Errachidy (Morocco)

Additional tournament bouts will be revealed at a later date.

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