Africa’s Best Young MMA Fighters Showcase Their Skills, Put On a Show at International MMA Federation Champs

• Africa's most promising mixed martial arts fighters impressed at the recent International MMA Federation Africa Championships
• Team South Africa topped the medal board at the end of the tournament and took home five gold medals
• Only two of the eleven fights in the finals went to the judges' scorecards as the rest was decided by TKO or submission

The 2022 International MMA Federation Africa Championships are done and dusted and 11 mixed martial arts fighters can proudly call themselves continental champions.

The action was intense over the course of three days and the finals certainly lived up to the hype. Only two fights during the finals went to the judges’ scorecards.

The other fights were all settled by TKO or submission. At the end of the tournament, host nation South Africa bagged five gold medals. Debutants Angola also had an impressive outing and claimed four gold medals.

South Africa's MMA fighters take to the cage, host and compete in the 2022 IMMAF Africa Championships

MMA

The two countries were tied with four gold medals each before the final bout, a heavyweight clash between South Africa’s Andile Madlala and Angola’s Juliao Sandambi. Madlala finished the bout in the second round to claim victory and Team SA’s fifth gold medal.

The tournament proved to be a huge success and a great advert for mixed martial arts on the continent.

The results of the final are as follows:

Flyweight: Nicole Van Wyk (South Africa) beat Bianca Stander (South Africa) via TKO.

Bantamweight: Mischka Laubscher (South Africa) beat Moneza Neves (Angola) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke).

Lightweight: Kiara Fegen (South Africa) beat Londiwe Hadebe (South Africa) via Submission (Armbar)

Flyweight: Philani Shabalala (South Africa) beat Mathys du Randt (South Africa) via TKO

Bantamweight: Maurio Silva (Angola) beat Nathanial Komana (South Africa) via TKO

Featherweight: Veja Hinda (Namibia) beat Nicolaas Vermaak (South Africa) via Submission (Armbar)

Lightweight: Lewis Mataya (Zimbabwe) beat Ken Nyaondo (Zambia) via Unanimous Decision

Team South Africa dominates in the cage on day 1 of the 2022 International MMA Federation Africa Championships

MMA

Middleweight: Elisio Zua (Angola) beat Elyse Balepe (Democratic Republic Of The Congo) via Unanimous Decision

Welterweight: Osvaldo Benedito (Angola) beat Cameron Coulson (South Africa) via Submission (Kimura)

Light Heavyweight: Stanislau Kakesse Wezy (Angola) beat Zhane Tannous (South Africa) via KO

Heavyweight: Andile Madlala (South Africa) beat Juliao Sandambi (Angola) via TKO

South Africa's Dricus du Plessis gears up for big UFC fight, will face America's Brad Tavares in July

In July, one of South Africa’s most dominant mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, Dricus du Plessis, will finally return to the Octagon. Du Plessis, who has two wins and no losses in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), will take on America’s Brad Tavares.

Africa is well represented in the UFC, with three champions boasting African heritage. Israel Adesanya (Nigeria), Kamaru Usman (Nigeria) and Francis Ngannou (Cameroon) all hold gold in the organisation.

Du Plessis has been dominant in his two outings thus far, winning both by knockout, MMAFighting reported. He was set to fight in April at UFC 273, but unfortunately, injuries to his opponents meant that Dricus did not get his shot.