Mahmoud Salama vs Jason Culverwell EFC 13

Another light heavyweight clash has been added to the EFC Africa 13 fightcard. Egyptian kickboxer Mahmoud Salama will face South African striker Jason Culverwell in their respective EFC Africa debuts.

Mahmoud Salama

Mahmoud Salama currently holds an unblemished professional MMA record of 5-0, he is also an Egyptian MMA champion. The former 5 time Egyptian kickboxing champion will look to ply his destructive trade in South Africa when he enters the Hexagon for the first time in Cape Town.

Jason Culverwell

Jason "JMC" Culverwell will be making his professional MMA debut at EFC 13. The Richards Bay local was a former Amateur Fight League light heavyweight champion and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the professional MMA scene.

Read More

Dino Bagattin vs Francois Kabulu EFC 13

EFC 13, which is quickly become a Welterweight affair, has had yet another 78kg bout added to the roster. Johannesburg's Dino Bagattin with face Cape Town's Francois Kabulu in just over three weeks time. This is the  third high profile welterweight fight added to the fight card for April 13.

After returning from nearly a years lay off, Dino "The Lion" Bagattin (8-2, #5 Welterweight rankings) recently lost to Michiel Opperman at EFC 12. The loss, Bagattin's first in two years ended his three fight winning streak and with it, his chances of the next welterweight title shot. The Lion however has not removed his sights from the title and was anxious to get back into the Hexagon and redeem himself. The EFC were happy to oblige.

After a dream start in the EFC, Francois "The Frenchman" Kabulu (5-2) has lost his last two fights against Leon Mynhardt and Martin van Staden. The Cape Town local will have the opportunity to reset himself in the welterweight division with a win over high profile welterweight Bagattin.

Read More

Johan van Staden vs Alain Ilunga EFC 13

Today, another lightweight fight was added to the fight card for Cape Town's EFC 13. Fight force veteran Johan van Staden will make his EFC Africa debut against fellow EFC debutante Alain Ilunga.

Johan "The Gun" van Staden (12-5) is an experienced MMA fighter, who is accustomed to fighting bigger opponents, including some of South Africa's top MMA fighters in Michiel Opperman, Ryan van Niekerk, Leon Mynhardt and Ronald Dlamini. The Gun holds notable wins over Donald Nzirawa and Kelvin Mwale.  Having recently moved camps to Fightfit Militia and dropping to lightweight, I expect to see a new improved Johan van Staden at EFC 13.

Cape Town local Alain "Commander" Ilunga (1-0) will make his EFC Africa debut at EFC 13. The Panther Fighting Arts fighter submitted Mbasa Cakta at CFL 01 to win his first professional fight and attract the attention of the EFC. With an impressive amateur fighting record and a successful start to his professional career behind him, Ilunga will now have the opportunity to prove he is the real deal when he faces van Staden.

Read More

Ricky Misholas vs Mahmoud Hassn EFC 13

EFC 13 will breathe some much needed life into the heavyweight division, a division which was looking rather shy of fighters. The latest bout added to the fight-card is a huge clash between two new heavyweights - Ricky Misholas and Mahmoud Hassn. Misholas was originally slated to fight Morne Marais at EFC 13. Reasons for the change have not been released.

Ricky "Apocalypse" Misholas caused quite a stir at EFC 12 when he knocked out Paul Kietzmann. Many believe Apocalypse will be the next challenger for Ruan Potts, but first he will need to get through dangerous Egyptian boxer Hassn.

I must admit, I do not know much about Mahmoud Hassn. The Egyptian fighter holds an impressive 49-13 professional boxing record, and is a multiple Egyptian boxing champion. It will be interesting to see how the dangerous boxer will be able to translate this in the Hexagon.

Read More

Wade Henderson vs James Le Roux EFC 13

The EFC Africa 13 fight card has made come great strides towards completion in the past few days. Today another middleweight clash has been announced between recently re-contracted EFC favourite Wade Henderson and Cape Town based fighter James Le Roux.

Wade "The G.O.A.T" Henderson (22-13), who has had a rather tumultuous time in the EFC of late, solidified his place within the promotion by defeating Josh Muller at EFC 12. Henderson was quick to announce that he would be returning to Middleweight, a weight he feels more comfortable at. In typical fashion, The G.O.A.T wasted no time in returning to the Hexagon, and just six weeks after his last fight, will enter the EFC Hexagon in Cape Town in the Middleweight division.

James "Jambo" Le Roux (1-1) is fairly new to professional MMA, and has only fought in the EFC once before. In August 2010, Le Roux was bested by Chett Meyer (#1 Light heavyweight rankings). James Le Roux who now trains with African Top Team, will look to make a statement in front of his home crowd at EFC 13 against the MMA veteran Henderson.

Read More

Michiel Opperman vs Martin van Staden - EFC 13

Today the EFC announced another great match-up to bolster the fight card for Cape Town's EFC Africa 13.  Michiel Opperman will face off against Martin van Staden in a welterweight clash to determine the divisions number one contender. This is a fight I really want to see (5 Matches to make after EFC 12) and the winner will earn a title shot against the EFC's welterweight champion who will be determined  in the EFC 13 headline title clash between Dallas Jakobi and Jadyson Costa.

Michiel Opperman (9-6), a new additional to the welterweight division, recently defeated Dino Bagattin at EFC 12 via triangle choke. The kick boxer from Pretoria has won 6 straight fights against some very notable opponents and as a result has moved up to #3 on my Welterweight ranking list.

Martin "The Punisher" van Staden (18-5) last fought in November last year against Nolan Swanepoel. He was slated to face Dino Bagattin at EFC 12 but was forced to pull out of this #1 contender match due to injury. The Punisher is now back at training, but will only have three weeks in which to regain full fitness. Van Staden currently occupies the 4th spot on my Welterweight ranking list.

Read More

Leon Mynhardt vs Don Madge EFC 13 fight preview

Leon Mynhardt versus Don Madge at EFC 13 is sure to be a cracker of a fight. The two Muay Thai standouts bring spectacular striking skills to the Hexagon and this lightweight bout is definitely a strong contender for fight of the night.

Leon “The Iron Lion” Mynhardt (9-5)

Leon Mynhardt has been one of the busiest South African MMA fighters of late, and has entered the cage 12 times in the last two years. This impressive fight rate coupled with a serious training regime has converted the striker of old into a well rounded MMA fighter. Mynhardt is currently on a two fight losing streak courtesy of Nolan Swanepoel and Amr Fathee Wahman and will revel in the chance to break this streak against hometown favourite and fellow Muay Thai practitioner Don Madge.

Don “Magic Man” Madge (1-0)

Though only 20 years of age, Don Madge is one of the most talented Muay Thai fighters in South Africa. Madge also trains with some of SA's top MMA athletes and coaches including EFC heavyweight champion Ruan Potts and  welterweight title contender Jadyson Costa. After a convincing TKO win over Wade Groth in his MMA debut at EFC 11, Madge will look to continue his destructive run in front of his home crowd at EFC Africa 13.

Fighter Comparison

Both fighters are Muay Thai experts with impressive credentials, and standing this is either fighters fight. Madge should have a height and reach advantage which may help him to dictate the fight on the feet.

Though the ground is a relatively unfamiliar domain for the two kick boxers, both have worked extremely hard on their games. Madge trains with BJJ black belt Jadyson Costa, and will certainly be well versed. Mynhardt too has worked hard, and showed impressive skills at the recent Quantum Cup of Grappling. I would give the ground advantage to Leon Mynhardt.

The mental edge also has to go to Mynhardt, who, with so much time in the cage of late, has a lot more MMA experience to fall back on. Madge does have the home town advantage and the crowd will certainly be behind the Magic Man.

Leon Mynhardt vs Don Madge Prediction

Both Mynhardt and Madge will fancy their chances standing and this promises to be a striking match out of the top drawer. It is possible that either fighter adopts a  tactical ground-based game plan to counter the other, but somehow the likelihood of this fight going to the ground seems slim and the chances of it finishing there even slimmer.
I predict an action packed fight, with both fighters landing some power shots. It really could go either way, but I think Don Madge will use his height and reach to take the fight away from Leon Mynhardt in the second round and earn a TKO victory.

Read More

Dallas Jakobi vs Jadyson Costa EFC 13 fight preview

On Friday 13 April 2012, the Extreme Fighting Championship will host its inaugural MMA event in Cape Town. EFC 13 will be headlined by an exciting Welterweight match between reigning champion Dallas Jakobi and Brazilian challenger Jadyson Costa, a fight which put the final touches on a new chapter in South African MMA.

Dallas Jakobi (12-5)

Dallas Jakobi overcame much adversity en route his welterweight title. The Gorgeous Boyz fighter was all but out twice against Wade Henderson before he pulled off a remarkable comeback victory, followed by a five round war of attrition with Adam Speechly in their Welterweight title fight at EFC 10. Through this Jakobi has shown that he can never be counted out  and has the heart of a champion.  While Jakobi was able to pull off these impressive victories, the frequency with which he gets himself into trouble it is somewhat concerning, especially on the ground.

Jadyson “Little Wanderlei” Costa (12-12)

After 5 minutes in the Hexagon spanning two fights, Jadyson Costa is still somewhat of an enigma to South African MMA. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt displayed amazing ground skills in submitting both Wade Henderson and James Rennie, but has of yet not been truly tested on the feet or taken into deep water. With a wealth of international fighting experience behind him, and a history of training with top MMA fighters, one must assume that Costa has a complete MMA game.

Fighter Comparison

Though Jadyson Costa has shown no real weakness striking, the stand-up game should favour Dallas Jakobi, who is more aggressive and has real knockout power coupled with a solid chin.  The ground however, is where this fight will get interesting as Jakobi’s trademark ground and pound will be tested against Costa’s high level BJJ game. Due to Jakobi’s apparent susceptibility to submissions, the ground advantage has to go to Jadyson Costa, who is extremely well versed and clinical off his back.

Mentally I believe neither fighter has an advantage as both are very experienced and should be used to the spotlight. Jakobi will feel the pressure to defend his belt, while Costa will feel the pressure of being an international fighter who is expected to win.

Dallas Jakobi vs Jadyson Costa Fight Prediction

Dallas Jakobi will come out the aggressor and want to play to his strengths and keep the fight standing. Jadyson Costa will exchange with the champion, but always look for an opportunity to take the fight to ground. Short of a big Jakobi bomb landing, the fight will eventually go to ground and here is where it gets real. Jakobi has shown brutal ground and pound and will look to work the top position en route a TKO stoppage. Costa however, is just that much sharper off his back than Jakobi’s previous opponents, opponents who have put the champ in precarious situations. I believe Jadyson Costa will sneak in a triangle choke in the closing moments of the first frame to become the new EFC Africa Welterweight champion.

Read More

Norman Wessels vs Dain Neveling - EFC 13

Norman "Chef" Wessels will make his EFC Light Heavyweight debut at EFC Africa 13 against debutante and former heavyweight fighter Dain "Sandman" Neveling.

Norman Wessels (4-3), a former EFC Africa heavyweight champion, has not fought since he lost his heavyweight title to Ruan Potts at EFC 9 in June 2011. After a trip to Canada with his Fight Fight Militia team late last year, Chef decided to move to Light Heavyweight, a decision I think will do wonders for his career and the LHW division. Neveling will be the first hurdle in Wessels' quest to regain EFC gold, albeit in a different weight class.

Dain Neveling (3-2) will make his EFC Africa debut against one of the biggest names in South African MMA, but don't write him off just yet. With a stellar 7-0 Amateur career and a going 3-2 as a professional, Neveling is no slouch in the cage and will be a great test for the new Norman Wessels. Neveling also trains with some of the top fighters in the country in Durban.

Read More

Leo Gloss vs Abdul Hassan - EFC 13

With EFC 13 less than a month away, we can expect the fight announcements to start rolling in. 

Today the EFC announced a featherweight clash to strengthen the fight card and pit two of the most experienced featherweights in South Africa against one another. Former featherweight title contender King Leo Gloss (#4 featherweight rankings) will face Abdul "Hollywood" Hassan on 13 April.

Leo Gloss (8-3) has not fought since his loss to Demarte Pena in September last year. Gloss will certainly want to return to his winning ways and build his way up to another title shot. Originally known for his phenomenal boxing skills, Leo Gloss has shown an improved ground game every time he has entered the Hexagon, and as his ground game continues to evolve, Gloss will become a greater threat to the featherweight division.

Abdul Hassan (17-5) is one of the most experienced featherweights in South Africa, but he is still fairly new to the EFC. Carrying an EFC record of 1-1, Hollywood has yet to make his mark in the countries mainstream promotion. A win for Abdul Hassan versus Leo Gloss would certainly get him noticed and propel him up the featherweight rankings.

Read More

Ricky Misholas vs Morne Marais - EFC 13

The Extreme Fighting Championship has announced a heavyweight clash for its inaugural event in Cape Town - EFC 13.  Johannesburg's Ricky Misholas will meet Durban's Morne "Mayhem" Marais in a neutral Hexagon on 13 April 2012. This is a great match between some of the new heavyweight talent the EFC has signed.

Ricky Misholas had a great EFC debut at EFC Africa 12, when he managed to dominate Paul Kietzmann, eventually ending him with a single punch and earning himself knockout of the night honours. A little over a month since his debut, Misholas will have his hands full yet again when he meets fellow Judoka, Marais.

Morne Marais will make his EFC debut at EFC 13. Not very well known in the MMA community, Marais, who was recently been scouted at a grappling competition, believes he will have the advantage on the ground come fight night.

Both men come from a Judo background and it will be interesting to see if they rely on their grappling skills or try and end the fight with a single bomb.

Read More

EFC 13 - Mikixi vs Robinson

The Extreme Fighting Championship has announced its first heavyweight clash for the upcoming EFC Africa 13 event in Cape Town. The fight will see Cape Town resident Bernardo Mikixi take on Durbanite Calven Robinson.

Bernardo "The Black Panther" Mikixi (#5 SA heavyweight rankings) has fought many of the top heavyweights in South Africa, including former heavyweight champion Normal Wessels and title contender Andrew Van Zyl. Fighting out of Parklands, Cape Town, the Judoka will look to put on a show for his home fans.

Calven "The Butcher" Robinson retired after his fight against Ruan Potts a year ago, incidentally this was also his first professional MMA loss. His MMA career it seems is not quite done as he once more returns to the Hexagon to fight Mikixi. A win for Robinson could put him right back in the top contender list and help him build his way towards a title shot.

This fight promises to be a slug-fest between two of the strongest and hardest hitting men to set foot in the EFC Hexagon.

Read More

EFC 13 - Don Madge vs Leon Mynhardt announced

EFC 13, set to take place in Cape Town on 13 April 2012, has already begun to cause waves of excitement in the South African MMA community. One of the big fights added to the roster is a lightweight clash between dangerous strikers Don Madge and Leon Mynhardt.

Leon " The Iron Lion" Mynhardt is widely reknowned for his kickboxing, a sport in which he reached the highest levels in South Africa. Over the past few years however, Mynhardt has worked tirelessly at his MMA and has evolved into a much more complete Mixed Martial Artist.

Don "Magic Man" Madge is a top Muay Thai contender, both in South Africa and Thailand. A youngster and relative newcomer to the sport of MMA, Madge brings with him a wealth of stand up experience earned in one of the toughest fighting sports in the world. A Cape Town local, this will be his first MMA fight in front of his home crowd.

This fight promises to be a brutal stand-up war between two of the Lightweight divisions top strikers and on paper is certainly a contender for fight of the night.

Read More

Jadyson Costa - EFC 13 title shot premature

Jadyson “Little Wanderlei” Costa (12-12-1,2-0 EFC) is a highly experienced martial artist, having trained with and competed against some of the best fighters in the world. In his professional MMA career, spanning more than a decade, Costa has fought all over the world including in the MMA Mecca’s of Japan and Brazil. 

Costa’s move to Cape Town, South Africa, to train and coach at the Pride Fighting Academy was merely a prequel to Little Wanderlei getting involved in the South African MMA scene. Carrying an 8 fight losing streak, there was uncertainty as to how he would perform in the evolving community.

At EFC Africa 10 Jadyson Costa, a member of African Top Team, stepped into the EFC hexagon against local welterweight Wade Henderson, one of South Africa’s most experienced fighters. 

Henderson was a great opening test for the Brazilian and would help us to gauge just how big the gap between South African MMA and the international MMA community was. A little over three minutes later and we had the first piece of the puzzle. Though the fight was by no means one sided, Costa, a BJJ black belt managed to use his superior ground skills to submit Henderson via Kimura in the first round and earn himself his first victory in almost four years.

Costa’s next test came in the form of James Rennie, an experienced local fighter who was making his EFC Africa debut. Costa managed to take the fight to the ground very early on and then outclass Rennie with his BJJ pedigree to earn another submission victory. 

Jadyson Costa has certainly caused ripples in the EFC Welterweight division. With two submission victories and two submission of the night awards under his belt, the Brazilian was certainly en route a title shot had he continued in this vein of form. 

Today the Extreme Fighting Championship announced that Jadyson Costa would challenge Dallas Jakobi for his Welterweight title in the headline event at EFC Africa 13 in Cape Town later this year. As good as Jadyson Costa is, one cannot help but feel that in getting the title shot so soon, Costa has leapfrogged some serious contenders. Guys like Martin van Staden and Dino Bagattin, who are currently on 3 fight winning streaks within the promotion and have fought title contenders in Adam Speechly and Nolan Swanepoel respectively. It seems somewhat of an injustice to throw another fighter, albeit a quality one, ahead of those who have paid their dues and climbed the welterweight ladder.

Read More

EFC Africa 13 – Jakobi vs Costa in Cape Town

The Extreme Fighting Championship have announced the details for their latest event, EFC Africa 13, which will see the promotion venture outside the borders of the city of gold for the first time. Cape Town will be the first port of call for the EFC’s expansion into South Africa and hopefully the mother city will receive the hexagon with as much enthusiasm as Johannesburg before it. The venue for this momentous event is the Grand Arena in the Grand West Casino. All the action will take place on Friday the 13^th April, and as has now become customary with EFC events, will be broadcast via numerous different media channels to the world.

Cape Town already nurtures some of South Africa’s best fighting talent and EFC Cape Town will allow these athletes to perform in their own back yard. Having local fighters to support will go a long way to enticing fans to the event and furthering the reach of professional Mixed Martial Arts in South Africa.  This event is another giant leap forward for the sport of MMA in South Africa.

EFC 13 Headline Fight

Headlining the EFC’s inaugural event in Cape Town will be a welterweight fight between reigning EFC Africa Welterweight Champion Dallas Jakobi (12-4, 4-1 EFC) and Brazilian BJJ guru Jadyson “Little Wanderlei” Costa (12-12, 2-0 EFC). This will be Jakobi’s first title defence since wresting the welterweight title from Adam Speechly at EFC Africa 10 in September last year. Ironically, EFC Africa 10 was also Costa’s first appearance in the EFC Hexagon and since then he has managed to string together two convincing submission victories.

Other EFC Africa 13 Fights

Other EFC 13 fights announced include a lightweight scrap between local favourite and Muay Thai wunderkind Don “Magic Man” Madge and top kickboxer Leon “The Iron Lion” Mynardt, which has all the makings of a brutal stand-up affair. Another addition to the EFC 13 fight card is a titanic heavyweight battle between Cape Town resident Bernardo “The Black Panther” Mikixi and previously retired Calven “The Butcher” Robinson.

EFC 13 promo video

EFC Africa 13 details

Date: 13 April 2012

Venue: Grand Arena, Grand West Casino, Cape Town

Confirmed fight card for EFC Africa 13

Dallas Jakobi vs Jadyson Costa (Welterweight title fight)

Bernardo Mikixi vs Calven Robinson (Heavyweight)

Don Madge vs Leon Mynhardt (Lightweight)
Martin van Staden vs Michiel Opperman (Welterweight)
Dino Bagattin vs Francois Kabulu (Welterweight)
Norman Wessels vs Dain Neveling (Light Heavyweight)
Wade Henderson vs James Le Roux (Middleweight)
Ricky Misholas vs Mahmoud Hassn (Heavyweight)
Abdul Hassan vs Leo Gloss (Featherweight)
Mahmoud Salama vs Jason Culverwell (Light Heavyweight)
Johan van Staden vs Alain Ilunga (Lightweight)
Armand De Bruyn vs Abrie Valentine (Middleweight)
Michael Vermeulen vs Morne Marais (Heavyweight)

EFC 13 fight predictions

EFC Africa 13 has some great fights between some great fighters. There are also a lot of fighters making their professional debuts. Click here to view my thoughts on who will be victorious on the night : EFC 13 fight predictions

EFC 13 Weigh-in results

The official weigh ins for EFC Africa 13 will take place on Thursday 12 April 2012 at the Grand West Casino in. For more information on the weigh-ins read my article: EFC Africa 13 Weigh in results


EFC 13 Fight results

Click here to view the full fight results from EFC Africa 13. 

EFC Africa 13 Articles

To view all my article pertaining to this event, click here: EFC 13 Articles

Read More

EFC Africa 13 - Matches to make in Cape Town

We are only a month into the new year and already there has been talks about the EFC's much anticipated venture into the Cape Town MMA scene at EFC Africa 13. Already a staple in Johannesburg, it is no surprise that the promotion has opted to head into the second largest city in South Africa. 

There has been a lot of speculation as to who will fight in this inaugural event, especially considering that some of the country’s biggest names in MMA hail from the Mother City. Unfortunately, the EFC have already stated that the highly anticipated bout between heavyweight Capetonians RuanPotts (the current EFC Heavyweight Champion and #2 Heavyweight Rankings) and Rico Hattingh (#1 Heavyweight Rankings) will not headline the event as Hattingh is injured. This almost certainly rules out a heavyweight title bout, as short of Hattingh, no viable contender has yet been established.

While injuries have halted the possibility of a Heavyweight clash, they have done the inverse for the Welterweight division. A neck injury to Martin van Staden forced him to pull out of his EFC 12 fight with Dino Bagattin, but has ultimately thrown him into the mix for EFC Africa 13, an event he has already expressed an interest in participating in. With Bagattin stating that he will fight at EFC 12, van Staden will have to find a new opponent to enter the Hexagon with come April.

No official fights have been released, but here are some potential matchups I would like to see at EFC 13

Don Madge vs Leo Gloss (Featherweight)

Don Madge made an impressive EFC debut at EFC 11 against Wade Groth. The Muay Thai standout has an impressive resume and this would prove to be a great standing battle against two traditional strikers. Gloss will be looking to bounce back from his loss against Demarte Pena in their title fight at EFC Africa 10, and this fight will be the perfect opportunity against another hungry young fighter. Madge, a Cape Town local, would enjoy the prospect of fighting in front of his home crowd at EFC 13.

Wentzel Nel vs Alex Cheboub (Lightweight)

Both Wentzel Nel (#4 Lightweight Rankings) and Alex Cheboub (#5 Lightweight Rankings) have had an impressive run halted by Costa Ioannou and will be looking to build their way towards another shot at the Greek champion. This fight will be a great match between a talented wrestler and a talented Jiu-Jitsu player and will almost certainly be won on the ground. The winner will move one step closer to that coveted title rematch.

Martin van Staden vs Adam Speechly (Welterweight)

The aforementioned injury in the history books, Martin van Staden (#3 Welterweight Rankings) will be keen to challenge a high level contender in a bid to get a crack at Welterweight Champion Dallas Jakobi. There are few bigger than Adam Speechly (#2 Welterweight Rankings), who will certainly be looking to return to his winning ways and earn a rematch with the man who took his belt.

Darren Daniel vs Liam Cleland (Middleweight)

Liam Cleland looked slick in his fight versus middleweight title contender Jeremy Smith at EFC Africa 9. The ground specialist will be a perfect test for fan favourite Darren Daniel (#4 Middleweight Rankings) upon his return to the Hexagon. A win will certainly move both men a step closer to a title shot in the stacked middleweight division. A title which will be on the line at EFC Africa 12 McLellan vs Smith.

Normal Wessels vs JP Joubert (Light Heavyweight)

Former heavyweight champion Norman Wessels will have his decision to move to light heavyweight put to the test in this bout against Joubert, who is currently on a three fight tear. The Light Heavyweight title is still up for grabs and this would be a perfect number 1 contender match to find an opponent for Chett Meyer, who is all but guaranteed a first shot at the title. 

Andrew van Zyl vs Dain Neveling (Heavyweight)

Following his first professional loss to Ruan Potts at EFC Africa 11, Andrew  van Zyl (#4 Heavyweight Rankings) will surely be anxious to get back into the Hexagon. The former heavyweight title contender will look to rebuild his impressive winning streak, while EFC rookie Dain Neveling will look to begin a legacy in South Africa’s top MMA promotion

Read More