If there was any doubt about the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as a sporting discipline among South Africans, it was finally dispelled during Friday night’s 2026 PFL Africa 1 event at the Sunbet Arena in Menlyn, Pretoria.
The 8500 seat venue was virtually sold out for the event and this fact made for an incredible atmosphere for the 11 bout spectacle, presented by the world’s second largest MMA league. Elias Schulze, the general manager of PFL Africa, made no secret after the tournament that he was extremely impressed with the Sunbet Arena as a suitable venue for this type of sporting spectacle.
The first tournament in the 2026 series of PFL Africa, the African leg of the American-based Professional Fighters League (PFL), was hosted in Pretoria for the first time ever and 22 fighters from 12 different, mostly African, countries were part of the spectacle.
Photo: Dirk Heyns
Photo: Dirk Heyns
Photo: Dirk Heyns
Five South Africans, including two fighters from gyms in Pretoria, were in action. In one of the fights, two South Africans faced each other, which means that there was a local winner in all the fights in which local participants were involved.
In the most sensational fight of the evening, Justin Clarke, who fights out of the world-famous CIT gym in Hatfield, Pretoria, dramatically won his heavyweight duel with Abdoulaye Kane of Senegal with a technical knockout in the first round.
Clarke reached the final of the PLF Africa tournament last year, but was unfortunately defeated in that fight by Abraham Bably of the Ivory Coast. On Saturday, he faced Kane, a giant of 6’5″ and almost 120kg, who has a very good record in MMA.
While Clarke is a big man himself, standing 6’3″ tall, it was clear early in the fight that he would struggle against Kane’s reach and weight advantage.
Halfway through the first round, the writing was on the wall for Clarke. He was in trouble and Kane kept attacking relentlessly. The big Pretoria fighter had his back against the cage’s wire and his supporters expected the worst.
Then Kane got overeager and lost concentration for a moment. This was the opportunity the desperate Clarke had been waiting for. With Kane slightly off balance after a ferocious attack, Clark managed to keep his head and attacked with one enormous left hook. It hit Kane on the jaw and the big Senegalese fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Although Clarke followed up with a few punches while his opponent was lying on the canvas, the referee intervened almost immediately to stop the fight. It was clear that Kane was unable to defend himself.
Photo: Dirk Heyns
Photo: Dirk Heyns
Photo: Dirk Heyns
Photo: Dirk Heyns
Photo: Dirk Heyns
Photo: Dirk Heyns
After the fight, Clarke praised his management for the preparation he had to go through and said that his ability to keep his head in that difficult situation had almost everything to do with how he prepared for it in practice rounds and planning in the gym.
He was assisted during the fight by two legends of the CIT gym, his coach Mornay Visser and stablemate, the MMA superstar, Dricus du Plessis.
– The other Pretoria fighter in action at the tournament was Asiashu Tshitamba from the A-Team Stars gym in Gezina in the Moot. He faced another South African, Shannon van Tonder from Boksburg in a Bantamweight duel. Although it was a tough fight, Tshitamba was just too strong and skilled for his opponent from the East Rand and he won quite comfortably with a unanimous points decision.
– In the main event of the evening, defending PFL Africa Bantamweight Champion Nkosi Ndebele faced a very tough Michele Clemente, who is based in Italy. Although Ndebele also won via unanimous points decision, he struggled at times to master Clemente’s unorthodox style.
Ndebele, who grew up in Diepsloot on the border between Johannesburg and Centurion, was a big favourite among the spectators and he said after the fight that he saw this tournament as a chance to fight in front of his own people.
– The fifth South African to compete at the event, marking a fourth victory for a local fighter, was Peace Nguphane from Johannesburg, who defeated Yabna N’Tchalá from Guinea-Bissau by unanimous points decision.
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