Ruan Potts vs Bernardo Mikixi EFC 16 Heavyweight title fight

The Extreme Fighting Championship has announced that Ruan Potts will face Bernardo Mikixi at EFC Africa 16 for the promotions heavyweight title. The event is set to take place at Carnival City in Johannesburg on the 19 October 2012.

Ruan "Fangzz" Potts

After a hiatus of nearly 9 months, undefeated EFC Africa heavyweight champion Ruan Potts (14-0) will finally return to the Hexagon to defend his title. Potts, who defeated Andrew van Zyl at EFC Africa 11, has had a shortage of worthy adversaries of late, which has forced the champion to remain on the sidelines longer than he would have liked. Potts is currently in the United States training with some of the worlds finest MMA athletes and will likely raise the bar for heavyweight fighters in South Africa.

Ruan Potts

Bernardo "The Black Panther" Mikixi

2012 has seen Bernardo Mikixi (6-3) string together a quickfire two fight winning streak. This has catapulted him into the number one contender spot and earned the Black Panther a second shot at the Heavyweight title. Mikixi lost his initial title shot against Norman Wessels at EFC Africa 5 and will want to rewrite the history books in his second title fight against his toughest opponent yet in Potts.

Bernardo Mikixi

Ruan Potts vs Bernardo Mikixi at EFC 16

Ruan Potts has been rampant in the EFC heavyweight division, notching up an impressive 4-0 record. Fangzz has also defeated both men who have defeated Mikixi in the Hexagon and will certainly come in a firm favourite. Mikixi however has shown he should not be written off and has serious knockout power. Either way, this fight does not promise to be a long fight.

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Bernardo Mikixi vs Mahmoud Hassan EFC 14 Promo video

Heavyweights Bernardo Mikixi and Mahmoud Hassan are both carrying wins into their EFC 14 fight. With heavyweight champion Ruan Potts in need of a challenger, it is likely that this titanic clash will provide one.

Bernardo Mikixi vs Mahmoud Hassan EFC 14 promo video

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Mikixi vs Hassan at EFC Africa 14

The EFC has announced the first non title fight to grace their EFC Africa 14 event. Former EFC Africa heavyweight title contender Bernardo Mikixi will face up and coming Egyptian boxer Mahmoud Hassan in a heavyweight clash with plenty on the line. Mikixi vs Hassan is a fight I was really hoping would materialise, as I discussed in my article Matches to make after EFC 13

Bernardo "Black Panther" Mikixi

After back to back losses against elite heavyweight fighters Norman Wessels and Andrew van Zyl, Bernardo Mikixi (5-3) managed to return to his winning ways at EFC Africa 13 by defeating Calven Robinson. Mikixi (#4 Heavyweight rankings) managed to take "The Butcher" down in the first round and finish him with some heavy ground and pound. 

Mahmoud "Hellboy" Hassan

Mahmoud Hassan (3-0) managed to defeat heavyweight prospect Ricky Misholas via first round TKO at EFC 13. The Egyptian boxer, now 1-0 in the EFC, dropped Misholas with a big right hand and managed to finish him on the floor.

Bernardo Mikixi vs Mahmoud Hassan EFC 14

With heavyweight title contenders hard to come by, this fight could very well determine the next opponent for Ruan Potts, who has been sidelined from the action for far too long. Both Mikixi and Hassan looked good at EFC 13 and both fighters are on a one fight winning streak. A win for either fighter would put them within the EFC's acceptable range for a title shot. 

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MMA Heavyweight Rankings - April 2012

The South African heavyweight division and particularly the EFC heavyweight division has had an influx of new fighters. This should make for some interesting matches going forward and possibly some new additions to this ranking list in the near future. EFC 13 featured 3 heavyweight bouts containing 3 debutants. There was also a high profile fight between Calven Robinson and Bernardo Mikixi which directly affected the current heavyweight standings below.  

1. Ruan “Fangzz” Potts (14-0)

In November 2011, Ruan Potts became the first heavyweight champion to defend his EFC title, when he submitted dangerous contender Andrew van Zyl. With a 14 fight winning streak, including notable wins over Norman Wessels, Andrew van Zyl and Calven Robinson, Ruan Potts is not only the EFC Africa heavyweight champion, but now the #1 heavyweight in South Africa. Unfortunately Potts’ list of potential challengers is dwindling rapidly, as the champion continues to dominate the division.

2. Rico “White Lion” Hattingh (14–2)

A pioneer of the sport, Hattingh still remains undefeated in South Africa, having acquired both his losses in the USA. The Capetonian Heavyweight recently steamrolled Jake Els in his EFC Africa debut, but was forced to put his title hopes against Potts on hold due to injury. We hope to see this Juggernaut of South African MMA back in action soon, where he will no doubt be assured of a title shot and a chance to showcase his skills to the newer MMA fans.

3. Andrew "One Gear" van Zyl (8-1)

Van Zyl will look to bounce back after his defeat to Ruan Potts at EFC Africa 11. One Gear, who suffered his first professional loss to Potts, will take something from the experience and likely be hungrier than ever. I hope to see a much improved van Zyl upon his return to the Hexagon.

4. Bernardo “Black Panther” Mikixi (5-3)

Mikixi has had his stats skewed, largely due to the EFC pitting him against top level opposition with a regularity not common in South Africa. Bernardo Mikixi was able to defeat Calven Robinson via TKO at EFC 13 to displace him in the heavyweight rankings and edge himself closer to another shot at the heavyweight title.

5. Calven “The Butcher” Robinson (8-2)

Calven Robinson returned from retirement at EFC 13 to face Bernardo Mikixi. The Durban-based heavyweight was defeated by Mikixi and now holds a 0-2 record in the EFC Hexagon. Both losses have come via men on this list – Ruan Potts and Bernardo Mikixi.


View all : South African MMA Rankings

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Neil Grove vs Todd Duffee SFL 2 Fight Video

South African born heavyweight MMA fighter Neil Grove (11-5-1) fought verses American wrestler Todd Duffee (6-2) in last nights main event from Indian fight promotion SFL 2. Both men have fought in the UFC previously and this was a huge main event clash for the promotions second event. Here is the full fight video for their main event fight.

Neil Grove vs Todd Duffee SFL 2 Fight Video

If you wish to avoid the build-up, the fight begins at 4:15 in the video.

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Bernardo Mikixi vs Calven Robinson EFC 13 Video

Bernardo Mikixi and Calven Robinson are two of the biggest athletes in South African MMA. Both fighters possess knockout power and will be bringing it to the Hexagon at EFC 13 on 13 April 2012.

Here is the latest promo video released by the EFC for the titanic clash between Mikixi and Robinson.

Bernardo Mikixi vs Calven Robinson EFC 13 promo video

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What has Ruan Potts been up to?

The EFC has released a short video interview with reigning heavyweight champion Ruan Potts. In the video, Potts discusses his current training regime and his views on the EFC's upcoming event in Cape Town - EFC Africa 13.

Potts will be taking a keen interest in EFC 13, as there are three heavyweight bouts slated for the event and one of the participating fighters could very well end up being the next heavyweight contender for Ruan Potts' throne.

Click here to view Potts' interview: Ruan Potts Interview

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Junior dos Santos - UFC Heavyweight Champion

Junior "Cigano" dos Santos recently became the UFC heavyweight champion when he defeated Cain Velasquez via KO. The Brazilian heavyweight has a long list of title contenders and will look to solidify himself atop a notoriously volatile division.

Junior dos Santos UFC fights

Fighter	UFC Stats	Rating	Bonuses	Score
Cain Velasquez	7-0	2.667	KO, Title	3.417
Total	7-0	7.204		9.700
Average	100%	2.667		3.417

Jon Jones UFC title summary

• Junior dos Santos is undefeated in the UFC
• Junior dos Santos has not defended his UFC title
• Junior dos Santos has the second highest average title fight rating
• Junior dos Santos has the second highest average title fight opponent rating

My Statistical Analysis of UFC Champions

1: Who is the most dominant UFC Champion? - introduction
2: Dominick Cruz

3: Jose Aldo

4: Benson Henderson

5: Georges St-Pierre

6: Anderson Silva

7: Jon Jones

8: Junior dos Santos

9: Fighter comparisons

10: Most dominant UFC Champion - conclusion

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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.

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Heavyweight Rankings - March 2012

Ruan Potts

The Heavyweight division has not seen all too much action over the last period, yet due to divisional moves, fighters returning from retirement and others being injured, the heavyweight ranking list has proved to be one of the more fickle. Here are my latest heavyweight rankings as of March 2012.

  

1. Ruan “Fangzz” Potts (14-0)

In November 2011, Ruan Potts became the first heavyweight champion to defend his EFC title when he submitted dangerous contender Andrew van Zyl. With a 14 fight winning streak, including notable wins over Norman Wessels, Andrew van Zyl and Calven Robinson, Ruan Potts is not only the EFC Africa heavyweight champion, but now the #1 heavyweight in South Africa. Unfortunately Potts’ list of potential challengersis dwindling rapidly, as the champion continues to dominate the division.

2. Rico “White Lion” Hattingh (14–2)

A pioneer of the sport, Hattingh still remains undefeated in South Africa, having acquired both his losses in the USA. The Capetonian Heavyweight recently steamrolled Jake Els in his EFC Africa debut, but was forced to put his title hopes against Potts on hold due to injury. We hope to see this Juggernaut of South African MMA back in action soon, where he will no doubt be assured of a title shot and a chance to showcase his skills to the newer MMA fans.

3. Andrew "One Gear" van Zyl (8-1)

Van Zyl will look to bounce back after his defeat to Ruan Potts at EFC Africa 11. One Gear, who suffered his first professional loss to Potts, will take something from the experience and likely be hungrier than ever. I hope to see a much improved van Zyl upon his return to the Hexagon.

4. Calven “The Butcher” Robinson (8-1)

After retiring from the sport last year, Calven Robinson has once more been signed by the EFC. The butcher willclash with Bernardo Mikixi at EFC 13 in a colossal battle between two massive men. Having received his first professional loss at the hands of Potts at EFC Africa 7, Robinson will look to bounce back with a win against Mikixi, and return to his very familiar winning ways.

5. Bernardo “Black Panther” Mikixi (4-3)

Mikixi has had his stats skewed, largely due to the EFC pitting him against top level opposition with a regularity not common in South Africa. While his results have been mixed, the Black Panther has continually improved and at times posed problems to van Zyl in their June fight. Mikixi will face fellow titan Calven Robinson at EFC 13.

View all division rankings here: South African MMA Rankings 

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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.

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Challenger problems for Ruan Potts

Ruan Potts

Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of talk about EFC heavyweight champion Ruan “Fangzz” Potts. Many people  were disappointed to hear that a potential blockbuster bout with fellow Capetonian Rico Hattingh at EFC 13 would not materialise due to Hattingh being injured. This has left  Potts without a worthy adversary and as a result, the fans without a heavyweight championship fight.

While the initial result is a less marketable main event for EFC 13 in Cape Town, Hattingh’s injury has also exposed a much bigger problem for the EFC. With only one potential title contender available, the heavyweight division is looking rather thin, a problem which will continue to create match making nightmares in the future.

Ruan Potts too has a serious problem. No contenders means no fights, and no fights can be detrimental to a fighter’s career, both from a fighting and a financial perspective.  

The EFC Africa Heavyweight Landscape

Fighter	Record	EFC	Streak	Challenger Status
Rico Hattingh	14-2	1-0	1 Win	Injured
Ricky Misholas	1-0	1-0	1 Win	Not enough wins
Andrew van Zyl	7-1	2-1	1 Loss	Lost his last fight, against Ruan Potts
Calven Robinson	8-1	0-1	1 Loss	Lost his last fight, against Ruan Potts
Bernardo Mikixi	4-3	2-2	2 Losses	Back to back losses against Norman Wessels and Andrew van Zyl
Ian Visser	0-0	0-0		No fight history
Morne Marais	0-0	0-0		No fight history
Wilhelm Strauss	0-1	0-1	1 Loss	Not enough wins

How does the EFC fix this problem?

The solution to the problem is simple in principle – get more fighters into the heavyweight division and schedule more fights. This means bringing in quality talent now and concurrently investing in new talent for the future. This is easier said than done, as high level heavyweight fighters are few and far between in South Africa’s young MMA community.

Long term solution

The EFC has already begun the process of bringing some new talent into the heavyweight pool, this investment in fighters will take some time to mature, as fighters will need to earn a title shot in a very unpredictable division. Fighters like Ricky Misholas, Ian Visser and Morne Marais have already been brought in, and hopefully this is just the beginning.

While this is a necessary step, more drastic action is required to fix the problem in the short term.

Short term solution

The EFC needs to bring in an established fighter to challenge Potts, this too is easier said than done. Bringing in a fighter for a single fight is not ideal for the EFC or the fans, and is not an option in my mind. Why risk your heavyweight champion’s reputation for a single fight? A loss would really upset the apple cart and undo all the hard work the EFC has done in building up their champion. The solution then is to find a highly reputable fighter whom the EFC could contract, and while I am not au fait with all the EFC’s contractual procedures, I can’t imagine this to be a simple task.

Where then does this leave Ruan Potts?

I guess for now we can only hope that either the EFC can find the abovementioned mythological fighter or that one of the other heavyweights can string together an impressive streak in the short term. Either way, it seems unlikely we will see Potts in action in the EFC in the very near future.

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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.

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Ruan “Fangzz” Potts - Fighter Profile

Ruan "Fangzz" Potts burst onto the South African MMA scene at EFC Africa 7 when he defeated Calven Robinson. Though new to the South African MMA community, Potts had already racked up an impressive fighting resume in England and brought with him a wealth of experience encompassing many fighting disciplines. A versatile martial artist, Potts has competed at the highest levels in Judo, Muay Thai and BJJ so it was no surprise that he took so well to Mixed Martial Arts.

Undefeated in his professional MMA career, Ruan Potts has been a dominant force in the EFC Hexagon. Potts started his career with an impressive win against The Butcher Calven Robinson, and followed it up with a TKO victory against Obutobe Baygon.

Originally training under Quentin Chong at Dragon Power, Potts moved camp to African Top Team prior to challenging Norman Wessels for the EFC Africa Heavyweight belt. Potts would go on to defeat Wessels via TKO to become the second EFC Africa Heavyweight champion.Later that year Potts defeated Andrew Van Zyl via first round guillotine choke to become only the second champion to successfully defend his belt.

Ruan Potts has since moved to Johannesburg, where he hopes to open his own gym and continue in his MMA success. He is the current EFC Africa Heavyweight champion.

Ruan Potts stats

Nickname: Fangzz
Age: 33
Height: 6’2” (188cm)
Weight: 114 Kg
Weight division: Heavyweight
Stance: Orthadox
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
Fight team: African Top Team
Twitter profile: @RuanFANGZZPotts

Ruan Potts fight stats

All time stats – 14 wins, 0 losses (9 KO, 5 Sub)
EFC Stats – 4 wins ,0 losses (3 KO, 1 Sub)

Ruan Potts EFC fights

Opponent	Result	Method	Event
Calven Robinson	Win	TKO (Knee and Punches)	EFC Africa 7
Baygon Obutobe	Win	TKO (Punches and Elbows)	EFC Africa 8
Normal Wessels	Win	TKO (Punches)	EFC Africa 9
Andrew van Zyl	Win	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	EFC Africa 11

Ruan Potts Fight Reviews

Ruan Potts vs Calven Robinson
Ruan Potts' EFC debut sees him face undefeated heavyweight Calven Robinson...

Ruan Potts vs Obutobe Baygon
Potts takes on DRC fighter Obutobe Baygon en route an EFC Africa heavyweight title shot...

Ruan Potts vs Norman Wessels
Ruan Potts challenges EFC Africa heavyweight champion Normal Wessels for the ultimate prize in MMA...

Ruan Potts vs Andrew Van Zyl
Fangzz defends his title for the first time against undefeated challenger Andrew Van Zyl... 

Ruan Potts Fighting Achievements

2011 – EFC Africa Heavyweight Champion

2010 - South African Muay Thai super heavyweight champion

2010 – Gold Medal at Abu Dhabi Pro African BJJ Championships Heavyweight

2010 – Gold Medal at Abu Dhabi Pro African BJJ Championships Open Weight

2009 – Gold Medal at Abu Dhabi Pro European BJJ Championships Heavyweight

2009 – Silver Medal at Abu Dhabi Pro European BJJ Championships Open Weight

1995 – Gold medal at South African Judo National Championships

1994 – Silver medal at South African Judo National Championships

Ruan Potts MMA South Africa Awards

#3 South African Pound for pound rankings

#2 MMA South Africa heavyweight rankings

#1 Most dominant EFC AfricaChampions

#1 Most vicious fighters -heavyweight

#6 Most popular SA MMA fighters on Twitter 

Ruan Potts Ranks Achieved

Ruan Potts holds a black belt in Judo

Ruan Potts holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jutsu

Ruan Potts Articles 

Click here to view all articles on Ruan Potts on MMA South Africa: Ruan Potts Articles

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Dominant Champion #1 – Ruan Potts

Ruan “Fangzz” Potts is the quintessential dominant champion. The titanic heavyweight, has retained a perfect record in both his EFC career and overall professional career. His EFC achievements are made all the more impressive by the fact that only one of his opponents had previously been defeated in a professional bout. Ruan Potts has also defeated two of SA's top heavyweights in title bouts and carries the additional accolade of having finishing all his EFC opponents, often in brutal fashion.

Ruan Potts fight stats

EFC Stats – 4 wins ,0 losses
All time stats – 14 wins, 0 losses

Ruan Potts EFC fights

Opponent	Result	Method	Event
Calven Robinson	Win	TKO (Knee and Punches)	EFC Africa 7
Baygon Obutobe	Win	TKO (Punches and Elbows)	EFC Africa 8
Normal Wessels	Win	TKO (Punches)	EFC Africa 9
Andrew van Zyl	Win	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	EFC Africa 11

Ruan Potts EFC fight analysis

	EFC	All	Opponent rating	Bonus	Score
Calven Robinson	0-0	8-0	2.17	KO	2.42
Baygon Obutobe	0-0	0-0	0.5	KO	0.75
Normal Wessels	3-0	4-1	2.43	KO Title	2.93
Andrew van Zyl	2-0	7-0	2.83	Sub Title	3.33
Total	5-0	19-1	7.93		9.4
Average			1.98		2.36

Key information – Ruan Potts

• Ruan Potts has an average score of 2.36, the highest for an EFC champion.
• Ruan Potts is undefeated in both his EFC career and his professional MMA careers
• Ruan Potts has finished all his EFC fights, including two title fights
• Ruan Potts’s opponents have the second highest average rating - 1.98
• Ruan Potts has the most KO victories
• Ruan Pott’s opponents have a 100% win percentage in the hexagon and an overall win percentage of 95%
• Ruan Potts has defeated the highest rated opponent: Andrew van Zyl – 2.83

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