'ZuluBoy' to Challenge for Bantamweight Title in EFC 105 Main Event

• Shannon van Tonder has been forced to relinquish his title shot at EFC 105 due to a severe infection
• Musa Sethwape will have to face Nkazimulo Zulu for the vacant Bantamweight belt in the main event
• Zulu is a former two-time champion and a crowd favourite who has competed in the EFC for 10 years

The battle for Bantamweight gold at EFC 105 has just gotten hotter as a former champion steps up to challenge for the title.

Zimbabwe's Nicholas Hwende previously held the title, but he vacated it to compete abroad.

A match-up was announced for EFC 105 between bitter rivals, Musa Sethwape and Shannon van Tonder, to crown a new champion and possibly settle their bad blood.

The EFC have now reported that van Tonder has developed a serious staphylococcal infection and will no longer compete for the gold on July 13.

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Football

Sethwape will still get to fight for the title come EFC 105, as a new challenger has stepped up to the plate; none other than future EFC Hall of Famer, Nkazimulo Zulu.

A former two-time champion of the division, 'ZuluBoy' is a huge fan favourite who always delivers hard-hitting action whenever he steps into the Hexagon.

Now fighting for Team CIT, Zulu is also part of the greatest fight team on the African continent and will be looking to take home another belt to the camp.

His teammate, Mark Hulme, is the current Welterweight champion, and his other teammates, Dricus du Plessis and Cameron Saaiman, are setting the UFC alight.

As noted by MMA Junkie, Saaiman beat Terrence Mitchell in round one at UFC 290, while du Plessis finished Robert Whittaker in round two of their main card bout.

The formation of the EFC

As Sports Brief previously reported, for the past 14 years, the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) has entertained contact fight fans across the African continent and beyond.

As Africa's biggest MMA promotion, the EFC has provided plenty of excitement and action-packed moments over the years - but where did it all start for the promotion in the beginning?