EFC Africa 30’s fight card included local wrestler, Igeu Kabesa, who faced Cape Town’s Regis Muyambo on June 5, at the Grand West Grand Arena, in Cape Town.
Muyambo vs Kabesa kicked off the evening’s main card, in a match-up with deep history.
Kabesa had a score to settle with Cape Town’s Muyambo, who was fresh from a victory over his brother, Texier Kabesa, and did so clinically.
Kabesa out-played Muyambo with a strong wrestling game that stifled the local.
Kabesa was also representing Primrose’s Fearless Kickboxing Fitness Gym.
Cape Town witnessed an unforgettable night of MMA, when local superstar Don Madge and Johannesburg favourite Boyd Allen faced off in a super fight on the night.
Their meeting promised a spectacular showing, and delivered even more at a sold out Grand West Grand Arena.
Madge was initially slated to face lightweight champion Lion Mynardt for his title, but Mynhardt had to pull from the fight with a groin injury.
Allen, the number one featherweight contender, was contacted and eagerly accepted the bout at a catchweight of 69kg.
Their clash started at a frenetic pace, with scintillating striking from both men, and did not let up over the full five, main event rounds.
By the fourth both were streaming blood, but still sending out crisp combinations, with Madge perhaps the fresher of the two.
It was the judges who finally had to set the difference between them and scored the bout a split draw.
Many would have felt that Madge did enough to win the fight, but all would agree that it was incredibly close, and an example of pure skill that will go down in the history of African MMA.
Irshaad Sayed returned to the city of his birth after eight years, with two world titles, and the Chinese MMA title under his belt.
Johannesburg’s Charlie Weyer came flying out of his corner at the buzzer, shocking Sayed with multiple punches landing flush.
Sayed shook them off and went to work, taking Weyer down and incapacitating him with brutal knees from side control.
Sayed calmly took his back and sank in a winning rear naked choke.
“I want to be the best,” said Sayed when interviewed after the fight.
“Pena is fighting Zulu for the bantamweight title in July; I hope I can fight the winner, back here in Cape Town.”
Brendon Groenewald took on Africa’s boxing champion, Elvis “The Bomber” Moyo, for the heavyweight number one contender spot.
Groenewald, an acknowledged ground specialist, made his intentions clear before the fight.
“He is a lethal striker, I won’t be playing a game with him, I will take him down,” said Groenewald.
Moyo showed massive improvement with his ground defence, but was unable to withstand his opponent’s experience.
Groenewald carefully avoided Moyo’s brutal striking power, took down “The Bomber”, and put him away with relentless ground and pound.
Marcel Teniers entered his third hexagon appearance with a wave of expectation behind him.
On the back of strong performances and still undefeated, David Buirski offered Teniers a solid step up in the division.
Buirski was too strong.
He ate a huge right hand initially, before taking Teniers down and grinding him out with a blizzard of strikes.
Teniers was unhappy with the stoppage and a scuffle broke out in the hexagon because of it, causing him to be escorted out to boos from the crowd.
The evening’s awards were spread evenly across the main and prelim cards.
Nathan Fredericks, Sindile Manengela, Tshilomba Mulumba and Anthony Mailer were all awarded performance bonuses, with Mailer also bagging the submission of the night award for his rear naked choke victory over Mulumba.
The knock-out of the night went to the debutant from the DRC, Knife Didier Kilola, who knocked the legendary Ricky Misholas out in the first round.
The fight of the night award went to Don Madge and Boyd Allen.
EFC Africa 30 full results are:
- Nathan Fredericks defeated Sindile Manengela via TKO two minutes and five seconds into round three.
- Anthony Mailer defeated Tshilomba Mulumba via submission (RNC) three minutes and 58 seconds into round two.
- Champion Dalcha defeated Roelof Scheepers via verbal submission 59 seconds into round one.
- Shaun de Lange defeated Saxon Delafield via TKO three minutes and 23 seconds into round one.
- Knife Didier Kilola defeated Ricky Misholas via KO one minute and 44 seconds into round one.
- Sibusiso Mdoko defeated Alain Ilunga via TKO three minutes and 39 seconds into round two.
- Gordon Roodman and Bruno Mukulu fought to a unanimous draw.
- Igeu Kabesa defeated Regis Muyambo via TKO two minutes and 40 seconds into round two.
- David Buirski defeated Marcel Teniers via TKO four minutes and five seconds into round one.
- Brendon Groenewald defeated Elvis Moyo via TKO four minutes and 22 seconds into round one.
- Irshaad Sayed defeated Charlie Weyer via submission (RNC) three minutes and 45 seconds into round one.
- Don Madge and Boyd Allen fought to a split draw.
