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The Professional Fighters League has finalised the lineup for the upcoming PFL Cape Town event, marking the MMA organisation’s debut in Africa. Set for Saturday, July 19 at Grand Arena, GrandWest in Cape Town, this landmark event marks a groundbreaking moment in PFL’s global expansion.
The event will feature the launch of the 2025 PFL Africa Tournament with First Round matchups in the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions, each featuring an eight-man bracket. In addition to the tournament bouts, the evening will be headlined by five high-stakes PFL Champions Series fights featuring elite global talent.
Tickets for this landmark event are on sale now via Ticketpro HERE.
At 145-pounds, former Bellator Featherweight World Champion AJ “Mercenary” McKee (22-2) returns to the SmartCage against Akhmed Magomedov (11-1), a rising Russian star and protégé of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Also confirmed is a Heavyweight Showcase featuring current Light Heavyweight World Champion Corey Anderson (18-6) moving up a division to face 2024 PFL Heavyweight Champion Denis Goltsov (36-8).
Artur Zaynukov (16-4) returns to the PFL following an impressive showing at Battle of the Giants, aiming to extend his win streak to six. He will meet RIZIN veteran Takeshi Izumi (6-3) of Japan, a decorated wrestler who earned a unanimous decision win over Spike Carlyle in his most recent outing.
These marquee matchups round out an already stacked PFL Champions Series card, showcasing some of the world’s top MMA talent on African soil. Headlining the evening is undefeated Middleweight World Champion Johnny “Pressure” Eblen (16-0), who puts his perfect record and title on the line against Spain’s surging contender Costello “The Spaniard” van Steenis (16-3). In the co-main event, Women’s Flyweight phenom “Dangerous” Dakota Ditcheva (14-0), widely considered one of the top pound-for-pound female fighters in MMA, faces Hawaii’s elite striker Sumiko “Lady Samurai” Inaba (8-1) in a thrilling penultimate bout.
PFL Champions Series Card:
Johnny Eblen vs. Costello van Steenis (Middleweight World Championship Main Event)
Dakota Ditcheva vs. Sumiko Inaba (Women’s Flyweight Co-Main Event)
AJ McKee vs. Akhmed Magomedov (Featherweight Showcase Bout)
Artur Zaynukov vs. Takeshi Izumi (Lightweight Showcase Bout)
Corey Anderson vs. Denis Goltsov (Heavyweight Showcase Bout)
PFL Africa Card:
Nkosi Ndebele vs. Mahmoud Atef (Bantamweight First Round Bout)
Maxwell Djantou Nana vs. Mikael Groguhe (Heavyweight First Round Bout)
Shannon Van Tonder vs. Boule Godogo (Bantamweight First Round Bout)
Jashell Ticha Awa vs. Justin Clarke (Heavyweight First Round Bout)
Antero Dos Santos vs. Karim Henniene (Bantamweight First Round Bout)
Abdoullah Kane vs. Mohammed Ben Yahia (Heavyweight First Round Bout)
Simbarashe Hokonya vs. Alain Majorique (Bantamweight First Round Bout)
Abraham Bably vs. Badredinne Medkouri (Heavyweight First Round Bout)
Juliet Ukah vs. Ceileigh Niedermayr (Showcase Women’s Strawweight Bout)
