Combat fighter wins Alpha MMA bantamweight title fight

Edson Machavane from SRK Fitness and Combat in Sandringham is the new Alpha mixed martial arts (MMA) bantamweight champion.

This comes after him beating Tshimelogo Ramothibe at the Lottoland South Africa Sportland Boxop Raw Alpha MMA 12 event in Pretoria on January 29.

Machavane’s rear-naked choke ended the fight one minute and 21 seconds into the second round, winning him the title and the submission of the night award. “Sub of the night must go to the technicality and control shown by Edson Machavane after he backpacked his opponent and finished the fight with a rear-naked choke to claim the bantamweight title,” said Alpha MMA.

“I’ve been working hard for this. Thank you to my team, thank you to my coach, thanks to everyone for coming and for your love and support. I’ve been training hard for this – Monday to Monday – with no rest. Hard work pays off,” Machavane said after the fight.

For the past two years, Machavane has been training with coach Gavin Harris, owner of SRK Fitness and Combat, based in Sandringham. “This was our biggest fight since we began this journey together. Each time we fought we had to face our own demons, there was no escape and we each had to enter the cage in our own way. The win shows how our dedication and belief have paid off,” said Harris.

The title fight brings Machavane’s fight record to seven wins and three losses and the plan is for him to turn professional. “Going professional is another big step, but we will handle it in the same way we have handled this whole process – one step at a time,” said Harris.

“In the two years we have been developing Eddie, the idea has been to create a cohesive system that makes him safe in every fighting range of MMA and then to blend all of that together, so it works as an integrated whole. At this stage, Eddie can fight and hold his own in any combat sport.”
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