Dallas Jakobi vs Adam Speechly EFC 10 Title fight

Reigning EFC Africa welterweight champion Dallas Jakobi and his predecessor Adam Speechly will both be involved in EFC Africa title fights in the next two months. Jakobi will defend his welterweight strap against Jadyson Costa at EFC 13 on Friday 13 April, while Speechly is slated to face lightweight kingpin Costa Ioannou at EFC 14 on 1 June.

Dallas Jakobi vs Adam Speecly at EFC 10

It seems a age since the Dallas Jakobi and Adam Speechly clashed at EFC Africa 10 in a back and forward tussle which earned fight of the night and was later said to be one of the best fights in the EFC's history. Speechly was surprisingly effective on the feet and his usual dangerous self on the ground and nearly finished the fight on multiple occasions. It was however Dallas Jakobi who took top honours on the night, using effective top control and ground and pound to earn himself a unanimous decision victory and the EFC Africa welterweight title. Here is the highlight video from the fight.

Dallas Jakobi vs Adam Speechly welterweight title fight video

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Jadyson Costa - EFC 10 Submission of the night

Jadyson Costa made an impressive EFC Africa debut against veteran Wade Henderson.

After a brief exchange on the feet, Costa shot for a single and scored a taken down. Henderson quickly reversed the position and ended up in Jadyson's full guard. Costa attempted various submissions unsuccessfully before landing a Kimura which forced Henderson to tap with 1:44 left in the first round.

Jadyson Costa vs Wade Henderson EFC 10 Submission of the night

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Adam Speechly vs Dallas Jakobi fight Preview EFC 10

On Thursday 01 September 2011, Adam “The Prodigy” Speechly (12-2) will put his EFC welterweight belt on the line as he takes on Durban based challenger Dallas Jakobi (11-4) in his first title defence. 

Adam “The Prodigy” Speechly

At just 22 years of age, Adam Speechly has achieved more in the world of MMA than many of his seniors and he enters this bout with a wealth of experience. He is  renowned for his masterful ground game, and has submitted many of his previous opponents. The prodigy has not lost to a South African opponent in the EFC, his only loss in the organisation coming at the hands of  Lebanese fighter Abdullah Hamdan at EFC 06. Speechly took this loss in his stride and bounced back to defeat Nolan Swanepoel at EFC 08 to be the first EFC Welterweight champion. He will look to become the first champion in EFC history to successfully defend his belt.

Dallas Jakobi

Dallas Jakobi is a seasoned campaigner, with 15 professional fights under his belt. Traditionally a middleweight, the Durbanite has fought many South African greats including Darren Daniel, Martin van Staden and of Adam Speechly. He also holds notable wins over Wade Henderson and Paul Cunningham. Coming into the bout on a 3 fight winning streak, Jakobi will look to use his trademark ground and pound to wrest the title from Speechly and become the new EFC Welterweight champion.

Prediction

I believe Jakobi will have the slight advantage in the stand-up and will use this to pressure Speechly aggressively at the start, this fight however, is going to the ground one way or another. Speechly will use his superior ground skills to maintain control and finish Jakobi via submission. Winner – Adam Speechly via rear naked choke in the first.

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Leo Gloss vs Demarte Pena fight preview EFC 10

With EFC 10 drawing ever closer, the questions pertaining to the headline fights and fighters begin to be raised with increasing frequency. Such is the atmosphere surrounding title fights... it is what makes the great. The very nature of a title fight is conducive to questions as they inevitably have two proven athletes who step into the cage with momentum stacked in their favour. This title fight is no different, as the fighters have lost but two fights in their combined professional MMA careers and collectively boast a 6 fight winning streak.

King Leo Gloss

To say Gloss in an experienced fighter is an extraordinary understatement. Not only has the King got a lifetime of amateur boxing behind his name, but has rattled up an impressive MMA record (8-2) since his debut in 2009. He has almost fought in almost every EFC Africa event and is a name synonymous with the production.

Leo Gloss’ boxing pedigree has made him a formidable foe in the hexagon whilst the fight remains standing, but a big question mark has loomed over the Edenvale native when taken to the ground. His hard work in this discipline became evident in his latest battle with Charlie Weyer, where, not only did Gloss look solid defensively, he also landed shots from the bottom characteristic of a fighter confident on his back. Gloss has shown a remarkable grasp for the sport and continues to improve with each appearance inside the cage.

Demarte Pena

A relative newcomer to the world of professional MMA, at 21 years of age and with but two professional fights under his belt, Demarte Pena brings an element of the unknown to September’s title fight. Pena’s last fight against Jean-Luc Kazadi elevated his status in the division, as he outpointed the highly regarded featherweight and proved comfortable both on his feet and on the ground.

Prediction

Both fighters have a solid skill set and fantastic conditioning. This fight has all the makings of a long, gruelling war. I believe the fight will come down to who handles the pressure better on the night. History has shown that experience counts when it comes to big fights and I must put my check-mark next to the veteran King Leo Gloss to take the victory via TKO in the fourth.

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EFC Africa 10 live at Carnival city on 1 September

Africa’s Extreme Fighting Championship has announced the date and venue for its latest cage fighting event. The date is set for 1 September 2011 and no surprises that the venue is once again Carnival city in Brakpan, South Africa. 

The EFC matchmakers have once again turned to some of their biggest names to provide the audience with their quota of violent entertainment. The event will feature 13 professional MMA fights, two of which will be EFC title fights. 

The vacant featherweight title is on the line for the victor of the King Leo Gloss (8-2) and Demarte “The Wolf” Pena (2-0). Gloss, a former professional boxer, has fought in the EFC since its inception and has won 4 out of his last 5 appearances inside the hexagon (his fight vs Ian Swart in December last year being declared a No Contest). Pena, who is still relatively new to professional MMa, is undefeated and on a 2 fight winning streak, including an impressive win over future prospect Jean-Luc Kazadi. 

Adam “The Prodigy” Speechly (12-2) will defend his EFC Welterweight crown against hungry challenger Dallas Jakobi (11-4). Jakobi having been submitted via first round triangle choke in their first encounter in 2009, will be looking to avenge this loss. He has put together an impressive run of 3 consecutive wins since his loss to Darren Daniel in August 2010. Speechly, who has not lost to a South African opponent in years, will look to be the first EFC champion to successfully defend his belt and stake his claim as one of South Africa’s finest.

Full fight card for ECC 10:

Adam Speechly vs Dallas Jakobi (EFC Welterweight title bout)

Leo Gloss vs Demarte Pena (EFC Featherweight title bout)

Nolan Swanepoel vs Leon Mynhardt

Dino Bagattin vs Martin Van Staden

JP Joubert vs Jeremy Scheepers

Paul Terblanch vs Tyron Rightford

Wade Henderson vs Jadyson Costa

Jacques Joubert vs Mwande Vapi

Armand de Bruyn vs Keith Theologo

Jean-Luc Kazadi vs Wesley Hawkey

Michiel Opperman vs Daniel Sinclair

Ryan de Vasconcellos vs Tumelo Maputha

Francois Groenewald vs Abdul Hassan

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