Fighter Godfrey ‘Feralspunky’ Mkhwanazi believes a victory in his upcoming fight against Rudolf Sekhukhune at EFC 132 on April 9 will cement his status as a title contender in the bantamweight division.

Mkhwanazi and Sekhukhune’s bout is on the preliminary card, headlined by heavyweight champion Matunga ‘HHH’ Djikasa from the DRC, who defends against the undefeated Senegalese challenger Adama Diop.

The supporting card includes the middleweight bout between JT Botha and Mzwandile Hlongwa, while Zhane Tannous meets Siyakudumisa Nomvenve at catchweight. Elsewhere, former bantamweight champ Gift Walker faces Angolan Eduardo Barros, and Jaco du Plessis will meet Christopher Molly at welterweight.

Despite taking this fight on short notice, Mkhwanazi, from Parkrand, is bracing himself for battle and aiming for a victory as he looks to earn a bantamweight title shot.

“This fight should cement my place as a title contender, as I believe my track record and public image are at a point where a title shot makes sense. The responsibility of the fight solely relies on my higher-ups, but I’m ready to take on anyone in my division, title or not. That is why I stepped up to take this short-notice fight,” he said.

Also Read: ‘Feralspunky’ claims victory at EFC 129

Though his camp in preparation for the fight was tough, Feralspunky said putting his body on the line is necessary to be in the right shape come fight night.

“Fight camp is tough as always. It’s necessary when preparing for any fight. I aim to suffer at training so fight night becomes fun and easy. I’ve put a lot of focus on improving my ground game, as jujitsu is the area I lacked the most in my overall skill set. I’ve had a fun few months, picking up some new tricks and refining old ones.”

The fighter goes into this bout on the back of a round-two knockout victory over Allistar Kunene at EFC 129 in November. This fight, he said, proved his capability of achieving what he sets his mind to.

“My last fight against Allistar was on short notice. My belief system was reinforced, and I still believe that I can beat anyone on my day,” said Mkhwanazi.

Known for his clinical striking and punches, as he demonstrated in his victory over Kunene, Mkhwanazi said this is part of a standard he would like to maintain to entertain fans and attract the attention of international promoters.

“As a fan myself, I always enjoy an entertaining battle of striking. The bigger picture lies in getting the attention of international promoters from Europe or the US. They want to sell fights, and that becomes easier with some knockouts on my CV.”

The prelims begin at 15:00, with the main card following at 19:00.

Also Read: Parkrand’s ‘Feralspunky’ Mkhwanazi makes explosive mark in bare-knuckle debut