The EFC Africa
middleweight division has really come to the forefront in 2012. The recent momentum
was spearheaded by the colossal EFC 12 main event between Jeremy Smith and
Garreth McLellan. March's title fight not only delivered a great contest, but a
whole heap of added controversy and the Middleweight title has remained a hot
topic of debate.
This was however the tip
of the iceberg, and some new additions to the middleweight division, coupled with some
clever match-making have created a new buzz about the division,
the likes of which I have not seen before in South Africa.
EFC Middleweight division – New additions in 2012
Danie van Heerden
Danie van Heerden brought
a new dimension to the middleweight division – a big, experienced middleweight
who can strike well.
Chett Meyer
Chett Meyer’s decision tomove to middleweight came as somewhat of a surprise to me. The division now has
yet another big, experienced middleweight to contend with.
Darren Daniel
After almost two years
absence, Darren Daniel is back in the EFC mix. Daniel is one of the most gifted
fighters in South Africa, who brings additional international experience to the
Middleweight division.
The EFC Africa middleweight landscape
Fighter
|
Record
|
EFC
|
Streak
|
MMA achievements
|
Jeremy Smith
|
11-1
|
2-0
|
11
|
EFC Middleweight champion
|
Tyron Rightford
|
3-0
|
3-0
|
3
|
Undefeated in the EFC
|
Chett Meyer
|
5-1
|
4-1
|
3
|
Former #1 Light Heavyweight rankings. Yet to
fight at middleweight.
|
Armand de Bruyn
|
3-1
|
3-1
|
3
|
Finished his last 3 opponents in the first
round
|
Darren Daniel
|
5-1
|
2-0
|
2
|
Undefeated in the EFC
|
Danie van Heerden
|
9-4
|
3-2
|
2
|
Undefeated in the EFC at middleweight
|
Wade Henderson
|
23-13
|
4-4
|
2
|
Vastly experienced across multiple weight
divisions
|
JP Kruger
|
1-1
|
1-0
|
1
|
Only EFC loss to former EFC Champion Garreth
McLellan
|
Garreth McLellan
|
6-2
|
5-1
|
0
|
Former EFC Middleweight champion.
Only EFC loss to Middleweight champion
Jeremy Smith
|
Donavin Hawkey
|
20-8
|
1-1
|
0
|
Former Fight Force Light Heavyweight
champion & #1 Ranked LHW in SA.
|
Jacques Joubert
|
10-8
|
4-3
|
0
|
EFC Middleweight title contender
|
James Rennie
|
11-3
|
0-1
|
0
|
Only EFC loss to Welterweight champion
Jadyson Costa
|
Liam Cleland
|
3-2
|
1-1
|
0
|
Only fighter to have defeated Jeremy Smith.
Only EFC loss to Middleweight champion
Jeremy Smith
|
EFC Middleweight upcoming fights
The Middleweight division is so hot right now
Unsurprisingly the MMA community has gone mad with excitement
since the announcement of the three blockbuster middleweight fights. Twitter has
been the medium most used and fans have already begun predicting who will get
the next title shot.
The beauty of this situation is that the title shot is not
the only thing to look forward to. With such a rich and diverse division, plus
a wealth of new fighters coming through the ranks, the middleweight division
promises an abundance of great fights in the future too.
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