EFC 111: Gift Walker Keen to Face Nkazimulo ‘King Shaka’ Zulu in 2024’s First Main Event

• EFC 111 is set for March 7 at the promotion's High Performance Centre in Johannesburg
• The main event of the evening will be for the championship belt in the Flyweight division
• Defending Flyweight champ Gift Walker defends his title against veteran 'King Shaka'

Youthful ambition faces experienced steel in the main event of EFC 111.

The East Rand's latest championship product, Gift Walker, defends his Flyweight strap against a man aiming to become a two-division champion.

Nkazimulo 'King Shaka' Zulu enters the hexagon looking to put a dent in the growing brashness of his 22-year-old opponent.

Coming off the back of a breakout 2023, Walker is sitting on the cusp of cementing his place as a premier EFC talent.

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He attributes his journey so far to the hard work and support of his camp and is relishing the fact that every rung higher up the ladder means fights against top-tier opponents.

Gift 'The Day' will be up against a man entering the EFC hex for the 20th time and whose EFC experience spans over a decade. Walker told Sports Brief:

"I'm excited for this challenge but it's just another step forward. At the level I'm at now, every single person I fight has to have a decent reputation. Everybody that I fight from now onwards are going be world champions."

'King Shaka' will be stepping down a weight division, as he is the current EFC Bantamweight champion. This is a factor that his opponent will negate with his own mental and physical preparations. Explaining his approach to the fight, Walker explained:

"I'm treating him as one of the best stand-up fighters and one of the best wrestlers I've seen. [We are] working on my strength, making sure that I am the strongest I can be."

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Time is on his side but the Springs fighter strikes a determined figure who, while appreciating the opportunity to take on a seasoned opponent, is eager to grace MMA's biggest stages. Outlining his measured approach, he says:

"We're going to focus on the fight on March 7 and then I'll take it from there but I'm not looking at him, I looking through him."

EFC 111 has eight preliminary bouts provisionally booked and several exciting main card fights lined up. Promising fireworks in the main event, Walker is ready to light the fuse, stating:

"You are going to want to watch because it's gonna be good and I can't wait to walk out of there with my hand raised."

EFC founder on a 2024 surge

Sports Brief recently reported on EFC founder Graeme Cartmell's expectations for the promotion in 2024.

Cartmell spoke after arriving back from Toronto where he and fellow founder Cairo Howarth attended UFC 297.

The event was a crowning moment for the EFC which saw Dricus du Plessis climb to the summit of the MMA world.