Mams man wins first mixed martial arts belt
“There is no time to rest, my next goal now is to win all combat championships and bring them back to Africa.”
A 21-year-old man from Mahube Valley in Mamelodi East was crowned light welterweight champion in the Extreme Striking championship at the weekend.
Sibusiso Sovendle of Mamelodi Warriors club beat Rowan by TKO in the first round of the tournament held at Randfontein Arena on Sunday.
In his opening bout, the mixed martial arts fighter stopped Francois Portwig by TKO in the fourth round to book a place in the final in the 70 to 72kg division.
Speaking to the champ, Sovendle said hard work and dedication led him to his first championship belt, which he said he has already started working on defending.
“There is no time to rest, my next goal now is to win all combat championships and bring them back to Africa,” said Sovendle.
He said he was 15 years old when Sensei Star introduced him to mixed martial arts, and has not looked back since.
Under the leadership of Sensei Moses Manaka, he worked hard to his first gold medal in the national championship and qualified for a tournament that was planned for Russia in 2021 but later cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Sovendle trains six times a week in the mornings – running, lifting weights and punching bags – for three hours then puts in another three hours in the evenings at his club at Stanza Bopape community hall.
Sovendle further said one day he would like to participate in boxing and win boxing titles too.
His message to the youth of Mamelodi is to “stay away from drugs and crime”.
He further encouraged the youth not to give up on their dreams and hold on to the hope that everything will work with hard work.
“When they fall, they must rise again, just like what we do in mixed martial arts,” he said.
“Help your friends who are taking drugs because drugs destroy many lives. Instead encourage them to participate in sport.”
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