Saturday 12 May 2012

EFC Africa Middleweight division stealing the limelight



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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