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

Garreth McLellan vs Danie van Heerden at EFC 14

Chett Meyer vs Donavin Hawkey at EFC 15

Tyron Rightford vs Darren Daniel at EFC 15

JP Kruger vs Mawande Vapi at EFC 14

Jeremy Smith vs ?

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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EFC 15: Chett Meyer fighting at Middleweight

The EFC announced today that fighter Chett Meyer (#2 Light Heavyweight Rankings) would be dropping down to Middleweight to fight at EFC Africa 15. The former light heavyweight fighter cited a need for more regular fights against high level opponents as his motive for the drop in weight.

The move comes as somewhat of a surprise, as rumours had been circulating about a possible Light Heavyweight title bout between Chett Meyer and JP Joubert at EFC Africa 15, something Meyer was all but certain of getting. Meyer instead, will now enter a very stacked Middleweight division with fighters like Tyron Rightford, Garreth McLellan and Danie van Heerden all vying for a title shot. In the ever competitive division, Meyer is surely two solid performances away from earning himself a title fight.

While the move is not entirely without merit from long term career perspective, the timing is somewhat suspicious. Chett Meyer had stated in a recent interview that he had no immediate plans to move down from light heavyweight. What then sparked the change?

One school of thought is that Meyer dropped to avoid a potential clash with teammate and training partner Norman "Chef" Wessels, who recently made his presence felt as a title contender in the Light Heavyweight division. The counter argument is that Meyer faces the same possibility of facing teammate Garreth "Soldierboy" McLellan at Middleweight. The fuller middleweight division does however offer more options for Meyer, and the likelihood of a clash with a teammate is greatly lessened.

Regardless of the reason, the move is made and we can look forward to seeing how Chett Meyer performs as a middleweight at EFC Africa 15 when he faces off against Donavin "Bam Bamz" Hawkey.

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Fightfit Militia rally behind PETA

With the boom of MMA in South Africa, many of the sports top professionals are achieving celebrity status. Although being famous can be irksome at times, it does have its benefits, and is a great platform for initiating change in South Africa and the world.

Local fight team FightFit Militia is home to some of these celebrated athletes, including EFC Africa champions Demarte Pena and Costa Ioannou, as well as former EFC Africa champions Garreth McLellan and Norman Wessels. The MMA team recently joined forces with the largest animal rights organisation in the world PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to show their support against animal cruelty. The campaign features fighters Garreth McLellan and Norman Wessels, and FFM head coach Richard Quan.

Norman Wessels for PETA - I choose to be in the ring

Richard Quan for PETA - Ink not mink

Garreth McLellan for PETA - Knock out cruelty

About PETA

PETA Asia-Pacific and its affiliates are dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. PETA Asia-Pacific operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in factory farms, laboratories, the clothing trade, and the entertainment industry.

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EFC Africa - Fight Statistics

The Extreme Fighting Championship has done wonders for South African MMA. In a previous article, 5 most momentous EFC events, I summarised the history of the promotion and listed some of its groundbreaking achievements. This article however, is less about the events and more about that which makes the promotion’s events tick – the EFC fights. For the sake of posterity, I have delved a little deeper into this fight data and recorded my findings.

In just over 2 years, the EFC has successfully concluded 157 fights spanning 13 events and  7  weight divisions. Here is some of the information on EFC fights and fighters which has come to light in my initial analysis:

Most active EFC divisions

Each weight division offers something different for the fans and because of this, fight cards are generally divided up amongst the promotions key divisions. In the EFC’s history, here are the weight divisions which have had the majority of the limelight:

EFC Division	Fights
Welterweight	45
Middleweight	32
Lightweight	26
Heavyweight	19
Light Heavyweight	19
Featherweight	15
Super Heavyweight	1

Most common EFC fight results

An MMA bout can end in various ways. Some fights are ended by the fighters in the Hexagon, others are left up to the judges to decide. Here are the most common ways in which EFC fights end:

Fight result	Fights
TKO	63
Submission	62
Decision	17
KO	14
Disqualification	1

Most common EFC submissions

The sport of MMA offers fighters many different submission manoeuvres. Some are high percentage, others riskier. Here are the most commonly executed submissions in the Hexagon:

Submission	Fights
Rear-naked Choke	28
Guillotine Choke	10
Armbar	9
Triangle Choke	8
Keylock	2
Kimura	2
Heek Hook	1
Omoplata	1

Most common round for EFC fights to finish

Most EFC Africa fights are scheduled for a 3 rounds of five minutes. Title fights consist of 5 rounds of five minutes. Here are the most common rounds in which fights finish:

Round fight finished	Fights
Round 1	101
Round 2	25
Round 3	26
Round 4	3
Round 5	2

Fighters with the most EFC fights

Since the EFC’s maiden event in 2009, the EFC Hexagon has been graced by 127 fighters from across South Africa and the globe. Here are the faces we see most often in the cage:

EFC Fighter	Fights
Leo Gloss	9
Wade Henderson	9
Jacques Joubert	7
Dino Bagattin	7
Wentzel Nel	7
Nolan Swanepoel	7
Dallas Jakobi	6
Leon Mynhardt	6
Garreth McLellan	6
Adam Speechly	6
Norman Wessels	5
Alex Cheboub	5
Danie van Heerden	5
Raymond Ahana	5
Remo Ralph	5
Bernardo Mikixi	5
JP Joubert	5
Chett Meyer	5
Juan Lubbe	5
Francois Kabulu	5

Fighters with the most EFC wins

Every fighter who sets foot in the Hexagon does so with a similar goal – to win. Of the 75 fighters who have won fights in the EFC, here are the most successful EFC fighters in terms of wins inside the promotion:

EFC Fighter	Wins
Leo Gloss	6
Garreth McLellan	5
Wentzel Nel	5
Dino Bagattin	5
Norman Wessels	4
Jacques Joubert	4
Costa Ioannou	4
Chett Meyer	4
Ruan Potts	4
Wade Henderson	4
Dallas Jakobi	4
Nolan Swanepoel	4
Adam Speechly	4

Fighters with the most EFC losses

For every winner, there must be a loser and 94 fighters have lost fights within the promotion. Here are the fighters who have lost the most fights inside the EFC Hexagon:

EFC Fighter	Losses
Wade Henderson	5
Remo Ralph	4
Jacques Joubert	3
Francois Kabulu	3
Jean-Luc Kazadi	3
Ashley Calvert	3
Raymond Ahana	3
Ian Swart	3
Chad Hepburn	3
Jake Els	3
Leo Gloss	3
Mawande Vapi	3
Luis Mendes	3
Juan Lubbe	3
Gina Ifuki	3
Nolan Swanepoel	3
Leon Mynhardt	3

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