Nicholas Hwende Defeats Nkazimulo Zulu to Retain Bantamweight Belt at EFC 100

• Nicholas Hwende fought with one eye closed for the majority of the fight after picking up damage in Round 1
• Nkazimulo Zulu locked in submission after submission, but Hwende always found a way to fight out of it
• Zulu Boy almost won the fight with the last action of the final round as he hooked in a mounted guillotine

The main event of EFC 100 lived up to the hype and capped off the night in stunning fashion.

Nkazimulo 'Zulu Boy' Zulu, a former Bantamweight and Flyweight champion, took on the champion Nicholas Hwende for the Bantamweight title in the main event of the card.

Zulu Boy dominated the first round, landing some good shots and even attempting to lock in some submission moves. The second round saw Hwende come out with his right eye completely shut. Despite fighting with vision in just one eye, Hwende started the wrong stronger and took the fight to the ground.

South Korean talisman Son masked and muted in World Cup opener

Football

Hwende changes strategy

Hwende realised his best chance of victory would be not to get into a fistfight. Zulu ended the round in control, though, as he tried to lock in an armbar.

Zulu and Hwende put on a show in the third round as they both traded blows. Hwende looked more comfortable despite his eye issues. Zulu tried to target the injured eye but Hwende managed to fend him off and took the fight to the ground.

Zulu tried to lock in a headlock but Hwende once again got out of it. The champion ended the round in a dominant position as he tried to execute a rear naked choke.

A ferocious fourth round

Hwende went back to the tried and tested method of executing a takedown in the fourth round, knowing he was less at risk of getting hit on the eye again if he had ground control.

Ronaldo scores in fifth World Cup as Portugal squeeze past Ghana

Football

The method almost cost him as Zulu locked in a triangle choke but Hwende fought it off. Hwende then grabbed control and hooked in a rear naked choke which would have finished a lesser fighter. Zulu then ended the round in control as he almost locked in a submission of his own.

An amazing end

With the fifth and final round to go, Hwende again went to the ground game. He controlled the fight in the final round, giving Zulu Boy no room to breathe and no room to land any attacks. The fight ended in truly spectacular fashion as Zulu executed a mounted guillotine and looked close to getting the win but Hwende escaped just as the hooter went off to signal the end of the fight.

The judges gave the win to Hwende by unanimous decision, but the scorecards could not accurately describe what a classic encounter it was.

Lyon revive Women's Champions League defence

Football

Tshilumba Mkixi wins Lightweight title with an impressive showing at EFC 100

EFC 100 got off to an electric start as Africa’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation celebrated their milestone event.

There were two title matches on the card as the Bantamweight and Lightweight titles were up for grabs.

The 100th event opened up with a Featherweight bout between August Kayambala and Nerik Simoes, Sports Brief reported.