The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced the final lineup for its historic Africa season debut featuring three Cameroonian mixed martial arts (MMA) stars.
PFL Africa debut – the continent’s first-ever global MMA showpiece is set for Saturday, July 19 at Grand Arena, GrandWest in Cape Town, South Africa with Cameroonian MMA Lions trio Maxwell Djantou Nana, Jashell Ticha Awa and Alain Majorique set to make history at the event.
The Cape Town bouts mark the launch of the 2025 PFL Africa Tournament, kicking off with First Round matchups in the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions, each featuring an eight-man bracket.
With 6-1 professional record, Nana will take on Cote d’Ivoire’s Mikael Groguhe who owns a 6-2 record, in a Heavyweight battle of heavy-handed finishers while Awa (3-1) will battle it out with son of the soil Justin Clarke (2-0).
Alain Majorique on his part will face Simbarashe Hokonya from Zimbabwe in a highly anticipated Bantamweight bout. Both Majorique and Hokonya own 5-0 fight records.
The three MMA Lions from Cameroon are among 18 elite fighters from the continent who will be competing in nine high-stakes bouts inside the PFL SmartCage spotlighting homegrown talents from Africa.
Headlining the night, South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele will face Egypt’s rising contender Mahmoud Atef in a thrilling Bantamweight bout.
Nigeria Police Force multi-dexterous combat athlete, Juliet Ukah also features on the card. With a flawless 6-0 record, Ukah will look to extend her unbeaten record when she squares off against daughter of the soil Ceileigh Niedermayr in the Women’s Strawweight Showcase Bout.
In total, 32 athletes representing 15 different African countries will compete across four divisions in 2025 to become first-ever PFL Africa Champions.
The maiden PFL Africa event in Cape Town will precede the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, featuring global MMA talents.
Complete PFL Africa Card:
Bantamweight:
Nkosi Ndebele (8-3) vs. Mahmoud Atef (5-2)
Shannon Van Tonder (7-2) vs. Boule Godogo (3-0)
Antero Dos Santos (5-0) vs. Karim Henniene (4-0)
Simbarashe Hokonya (5-0) vs. Alain Majorique (5-0)
Heavyweight:
Maxwell Djantou Nana (6-1) vs. Mikael Groguhe (6-2)
Jashell Ticha Awa (3-1) vs. Justin Clarke (2-0)
Abdoullah Kane (3-0) vs. Mohammed Ben Yahia (9-4)
Abraham Bably (5-2) vs. Badredinne Medkouri (7-2)
Strawweight showcase:
Juliet Ukah (6-0) vs. Ceileigh Niedermayr (3-2)
Complete PFL Champions Series Card:
Middleweight World Championship:
Johnny Eblen (16-0) vs. Costello van Steenis (16-3)
Women’s Flyweight:
Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) vs. Sumiko Inaba (8-1)
Featherweight Showcase Bout:
AJ McKee (22-2) vs. Akhmed Magomedov (11-1)
Lightweight Showcase Bout:
Artur Zaynukov (16-4) vs. Takeshi Izumi (6-3)
Heavyweight Showcase Bout:
Corey Anderson (18-6) vs. Denis Goltsov (36-8)
