MFC at Durban Ice Rink 10 June

Megladon Fight Club (MFC) is hosting a pro and amateur MMA fight night at the Durban Ice Rink this Sunday  10 June 2012.

MFC information

Date: 10 June 2012

Time: 18:00

Venue: Durban Ice Rink 

MFC fight card

The MFC fight night will host 15 MMA fights, both professional and amateur including the following headline fights:

Moodley vs Pretorius

Ninow vs Msane

MFC ticket information

Tickets are R100 and will be on sale at the door.

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MMA All Stars - amateur MMA event on 9 June

Godfather productions and Quantum Tribe will host MMA All Stars, an amateur MMA event on Saturday 9 June 2012. The event will play host to a number of amateur MMA fights, including a couple of title fights.

MMA All Stars information

Date: 9 June 2012

Time: Doors open at 18:00, Fights start at 19:00

Venue: Luso Africa Sports Club, 15 Walnut road, Primrose, Johannesburg

MMA All Stars fight card

Duho Kim vs Mbabelo Swekile

Jason Le Roux and Craig Le Roux will both be fighting

Other fights TBA

MMA All Stars tickets

Tickets for the event will be R120.00

For more information on MMA All Stars, call 082 852 7974

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UMF Dragon Power Fight Night - 19 May 2012

Dragon Power will host an MMA and Muay Thai event in Cape Town this Saturday 19 May. The event will feature both professional and amateur bouts across both disciplines. The main event fights will be streamed live online from 9pm at http://www.zoopy.com/umf

UMF Event Information

Date: Saturday 19 May 2012

Time: 18:00 for 19:00

Venue: C/O De villiers st & Stirling st, Cape Town (Next door to Mercury live)

Cost:  R120 - R350

Tickets can be purchased from dragonpower.co.za or computicket

UMF Fight Card

Main fight card 

Sors Grobbelaar vs Dumani Miya (Muay Thai Super Heavyweight)

Sihle "Somnandi'" Khuboni vs Marcel "Little Hammer" Teniers (MMA Middleweight title fight)

Sibusisu "The Monster" Mdoko vs Jarred "Rothwiler" Rothwell (Muay Thai Light Middleweight)

Thule "Mr. MuayThai" Mthembu vs Lucian "Juggernaught" Birks (Mauy Thai Welterweight)

Undercard fights

Keith Drewery vs Guy "Kwazi" Lazarus (Muay Thai Bantamweight)

Barend Nienaber vs Themba "The Answer" Gorimbo (MMA Lightweight)

Don Wilken vs Jamie Williamson (MMA Welterweight)

Ebrahim Mujahied vs Akhona Mnqibisa (Muay Thai Middleweight)

Brenton Honeyman vs Gionathan Vessio (Muay Thai Light Heavyweight)

UMF Fight Night Promo Video

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EFC Africa 15 initial information

EFC Africa 15 is starting to take shape. The event, which will take place on Friday 27 July has not been officially announced, but recent events on twitter have confirmed some of the details. Two major middleweight fights have already been announced for the event, though a location for these landmark fights has yet to be disclosed.

There have also been rumours of a light heavyweight title fight at EFC 15, and with Chett Meyer having dropped to Middleweight, it is likely that should this fight occur, it will feature JP Joubert and Norman Wessels.

EFC Africa 15 event details

Date: 27 July 2012
Venue: TBA

Fights announced for EFC Africa 15

Chett Meyer vs Donavin Hawkey (Middleweight)

Darren Daniel vs Tyron Rightford (Middleweight)

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Cape Fight League announces CFL 2

The Cape Fight League has announced details for their second MMA event in Cape Town.  The promotions second event will attempt to build on the success of the first event, CFL 01, while correcting some of the shortfalls identified.

Today, the Cape Fight League announced two of the main fights for their CFL 2 event. Chris du Pont from Tiger Kai will face Craig Fourie from Lions Den in a heavyweight clash, and Nathan Raaths from Men of War will fight Warren Allison of Industrial fight club in a middleweight bout. Details have yet to be released about the other 14 fights.

CFL 2 will take place at Ratanga Junction and the organisers have already promised a new Master of Ceremonies and better seating arrangements, two of the biggest issues with CFL 01. The event also promises to provide top class entertainment, MMA stalls and gear, food and beverages on sale and of course the CFL Ring Girls will be in attendance. All in all CFL 2 looks to be a much grander event than CFL 01, which is great for South African MMA.

Confirmed CFL 2 Fight Card

Chris Du Pont vs Craig Fourie (Heavyweight)

Nathan "The Cookie Monster" Raaths vs Warren Alison (Middleweight)

CFL 2 Event Information

Date: Saturday, 12 May 2012

Time: 18:30 - 23:30

Venue: Ratanga Junction, Cape Town

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Rise of the Warrior XII - 7 April 2012 in Empangeni

Shido promotions has announced the details for their next MMA event - Rise of the Warrior XII. The event will feature 12 MMA fights, both professional and amateur, and take place at the Umfolozi Casino in Empangeni on 7 April 2012.

Rise of the Warrior XII information

Date: 7 April 2012

Doors open: 18:00

Event starts: 19:00

Venue: Umfolozi Casino, Empangeni

ROW XII Ticket information

Unreserved: R100.00 pp

VIP Reserved: R150.00 pp

For more information, visit http://www.shido.co.za/ROW_XII.html

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Nelspruit Fight Night: NFN 5 - Pride

The Mpumalanga Fight League has announced details for its latest MMA event, Nelspruit Fight Night 5.

Nelspruit Fight Night 5 - Event information

Date: Friday, 30 March 2012
Time: 6pm - Fighter stare-downs, 7pm fights begin
Venue: Old Wetherlys Building, Riverside Lifestyle Centre, Nelspruit

Where to buy tickets for Nelspruit Fight Night 5

Tickets for NFN5 can be bought from:

• Knifestyle - Ilanda Mall
• Trinity MMA Nelspruit - Copperleaf, White River

NFN 5 Ticket prices

Spectator tickets - R100pp

VIP Tables - R150pp. Tables include finger foods and waiters.

Other NFN5 information

Nelspruit Fight Night will also provide:

• Cash bars
• Food stands
• After party at the event
• Secure parking

Contact Nelspruit Fight Night

For more information about NFN5, contact:

• Bertus - 072 363 6244
• Craig - 082 459 5898

For VIP tickets, contact:

• Liz - 076 215 2978

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Armbar 01 - Amateur MMA fight night

This Saturday, 17  March 2012, the Brakpan Indoor Sports Centre will host the first of Godfather productions' new amateur South African MMA events - Armbar 01.

Weigh in's for the event will be held from 12:00 on Saturday. The event doors will be open to the public from 17:30 and the fights will start at 18:00 on Saturday event. Tickets cost R120 and seating will be a free for all, so get there early! No official fights have been released, but I have heard  rumours of a few exciting  prospects fighting on the night.

Armbar 01 details
Date: 17 March 2012
Time: 18:00
Cost: R120.00
Venue: Brakpan Indoor Sports Centre, cnr Jan Smuts Park Bedford and Elliot Street, Brakpan
More info: 082 852 7974

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MFC at Sibaya on 1 April

The Megaladon Fight Club (MFC) will host an MMA event at Sibaya Casino in Durban on 1 April 2012. The event will feature both Amateur and Professional MMA bouts and includes 3 title fights.

Where to buy MFC tickets

Tickets can be purchased from the CombatCoaching.com headquarters on Saturday 31 March 2012 from 9am on a first come first served basis. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Fighters competing at MFC

Morne Swanepoel's Team MMA Fighters Craig "Nemo" Ninow and Bradley "The Nightmare" Swanepoel will compete at MFC.

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EFC 12 fight results

Here are the fight results from EFC Africa 12, held at Carnival city on 2 March 2012.

Winner	Opponent	Round	Method
Dino Bertolis	Francois Groenewald	3	Unanimous decision
Gareth Buirski	Koba Iakobidza	3	Submission (Guillotine choke)
Wade Henderson	Josh Muller	1	Verbal Submission (Strikes)
Ryan van Niekerk	Markus Taljaard	3	Unanimous decision
Boyd Allen	Donald Nzirawa	3	Unanimous decision
Ricky Misholas	Paul Kietzmann	2	KO (Punch)
JP Kruger	Pete Motaung	2	Submission (Triangle choke)
Danie van Heerden	Donavin Hawkey	1	Submission (Rear naked choke)
Raymond Ahana	Sean Robinson	2	KO (Head kick)
Michiel Opperman	Dino Bagattin	2	Submission (Triangle choke)
Wesley Hawkey	Denzil Wait	1	Submission (Armbar)
Jeremy Smith	Garreth McLellan	4	Submission (Guillotine choke)

How EFC 12 fights ended

Fights won by KO/TKO	2
Fights won by Submission	7
Fights won by Decision	3

When EFC 12 fights ended

Fights ended in the first round	3
Fights ended in the second round	4
Fights ended in the third round	1
Fights ended in the fourth round	1
Fights that went the distance	3

Who won EFC 12 fights

Fights won by BetXchange favourite	4
Fights won by BetXchange underdog	7

*BetXchange only had 11 fights due to bouts being changed

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MMA South Africa Community update

As another week draws to an end, its time to recap on the effects the past few days have had on the South African MMA community. As always, if you know of any other interesting news or events, please let me know on my twitter account: MMA South Africa

South African MMA Annoucements
The Extreme Fighting Championship has released details of its upcoming event EFC Africa 13 to be held in Cape Town later this year. Though still largely unpopulated, the beginnings of a fight card have been released. The event will be headlined by a Welterweight title fight between Dallas Jakobi and Jadyson Costa. Here is a link for all articles pertaining to: EFC 13 Articles


South African MMA Articles
With EFC Africa 12 just around the corner, it is not surprising that the majority of the media attention is circling around the event. Here are a few local articles I found :

MMAWear interviews Wade Henderson
MMAWear talks to Wade "G.O.A.T" Henderson prior to his EFC 12 bout with Josh Muller. The interiew touches on the following points:

• Henderson's dislike for Muller
• Henderson's training camp for the fight
• Henderson's future in MMA

Click here for the full interview

MMAWear interviews Josh Muller
A recent interview conducted with Josh "The Jedi" Muller ahead of his EFC Africa 12 fight against Wade Henderson. The interview covers the following topics:

• Preparation for his upcoming fight
• The grudge between Muller and Henderson
• Muller's future plans in the sport 

Click here for the full interview

MMAWear interviews Richard Quan
Richard Quan is the head coach at Fight Fit Militia, one of South Africa's top fighting teams. The team is currently home to many EFC Africa champions, including featherweight champion Demarte Pena, lightweight champion Costa Ioannou and middleweight champion Garreth McLellan. Former heavyweight champion Normal Wessels and top ranked light heavyweight Chett Meyer bolster the already star studded list. In this interview Quan discusses:

• Quan's fighting and MMA background
• Quan's goals and aspirations in the sport of MMA and for FFM
• The mindset behind Fight Fight Militia

Click here for the full interview 
 


Fight Republic interviews Denzil Wait
An interview conducted with Denzil "Redstarr" Wait ahead of his EFC Africa 12 fight against Wesley Hawkey. The interview covers the following topics:

• Preparation for his upcoming fight
• The EFC featherweight division
• Wait's history in MMA and greatest influence
• MMA in South Africa

Click here for the full interview

South African MMA Events
Upcoming events largely focus around the first major event of the MMA year - EFC 12

Meet the EFC fighters
25 February, Nationwide
Some of the EFC professional fighters will be meeting the public and signing autographs at various Nu Metro cinemas around the country:
Hyde Park – Garreth McLellan, Demarte Pena, Costa Ioannou
The Glen – Jeremy Smith, Dino Bagattin, Wade Henderson
Canal Walk – Jadyson Costa, Paul Terblanche
Pavilion – Donavin and Wesley Hawkey
More info

EFC Africa 12 main event
2 March, Carnival City, Johannesburg
The event we have all been waiting for is now just a week away. Watch Garreth "Soldierboy" McLellan defend his middleweight title against Jeremy "Pitbull" Smith and 11 other professional Mixed Martial Arts fights.
More info: EFC 12 fight card, EFC 12 predictions

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South African MMA Community update

Twitter is a wonderful tool which enables us to keep abreast of the latest happenings in areas of interest. For me, this area is Mixed Martial Arts, and more specifically, MMA within South Africa.

Here are a couple of interesting things happening in the South African MMA community. If you know of anything else, please tweet me on my twitter account: MMA South Africa

MMA Announcements
The fast approaching EFC 12 - McLellann vs Smith event fight card has undergone some serious reconstruction. As is customary with MMA events, injury has forced the withdrawal of certain fighters. Fortunately the EFC has found replacements for these fighters and the event still looks like a winner. Here is a link for all articles pertaining to: EFC 12 articles


MMA Articles
I have stumbled upon a couple of good articles pertaining the South African Martial Arts community. These are inextricably linked with the MMA community and are an interesting read. As the sport continues to grow and evolve, this type of article should become more common.

MMAWear.co.za interviews Dino Bagattin
MMAWear.co.za recently conducted an interview with EFC 12 fighter Dino "The Lion" Bagattin. The brief interview touches on the following topics:

• Preparation for his upcoming EFC 12 fight
• His thoughts on Martin van Staden's injury and his new opponent Michiel Opperman
• His future in the EFC and MMA 

Click here for the full interview

Huntley Smith on BJJ & MMA in SA

Huntley Smith is a BJJ instructor at Gorilla Warfare, one of the top fight teams in South Africa and home to EFC fighters Jeremy Smith, Andrew van Zyl, Denzil Wait and Jean-Luc Kazadi. In this article, Smith covers the following topics:

• The psyche of fighting
• The evolution of MMA
• BJJ and MMA in South Africa

Click here for the full article


Martial Arts Events
A couple of Seminars and Tournaments have been announced for the coming weeks. Here is the info you need:

Team Mayhem & Rio Grappling BJJ Seminar
18 February 2012, Roodepoort, Gauteng 
Join Jurgen Putter, Francois Groenewald, JP Joubert and Jacques Joubert for a BJJ seminar catering for 1st timers through to intermediate and experienced learners. R50-00 per person as an opening and introductory offer. 
More info

Quantum Tribe Grapplers Cup
25 February 2012, Bruma, Gauteng
Another great Grappling competition for all grapplers from all clubs and all walks of life. Come together and compete in this awesome sport of brotherhood, Both Gi and No Gi will be available as well as Male and Female
More info


New MMA Gyms
Some new MMA gyms have opened recently in the Johannesburg area. Here is some information on the latest additions to the MMA community:

World of Warriors
1st floor, Orion building, Corner Boeing and 1st Avenue, Elma Park
011 657 4435
Website
Facebook Page
Twitter Profile 
Feature article on Smacktalk.co.za


Team Mayhem SA
Roodepoort / Ruimsig Athletic Stadium
071 362 7331
Facebook Page
Twitter Profile

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Cape Fight League 01 full fight card

The Cape Fight League has released its full fight card for its inaugural event at the Belville Velodrome in Cape Town on 4 February 2012. The fight card will feature a wide array of fights encompassing professional Mixed Martial Arts bouts, Professional Extreme Striking bouts as well as Amateur MMA bouts. Headlining the event will be a lightweight fight between Chris Bright (#2 MMA Lightweight Rankings) and Ian Swart. It will be interesting to see how this first event goes, especially with the EFC's scheduled venture into the Cape Town market in April.

Full Fight Card for CFL 01

Professional MMA fights

Chris Bright vs Ian "Chucky" Swart (Lightweight)
Alain Alunga vs Mbasa Cakta (Welterweight)
Sors Grobbelaar vs Chris Du Pont
Gavin Green vs Warrin Allison

Extreme Striking Pro fights
Dale Alexander vs TBA
Jeovani Bushby vs Pat Mafika

Amateur MMA fights
Jamie Williamson vs Matthew Granger (Featherweight)
Schalk Burger vs Dean Lotz (Lightweight)
Amedeo Musini vs Mullen Mivillier (Lightweight)
Graham Roberts vs Brandon Maddoc (Lightweight)
Regis Muyambo vs Bruno Bella Bella (Welterweight)
Themba Gorimbo vs Ivor Petersen (Welterweight)
Raymond Botha vs Pupanga Zoulu (Middleweight)
Mishal Davis vs Daniel (Middleweight)
Ryno van Zyl vs Gideon Drotschie (Light Heavyweight)
Shaun Harding vs Jean Woodman (Light Heavyweight)
Ernest Reyneke vs Johan du Toit (Heavyweight)
JP Menlin vs Morne Swart (Heavyweight)

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EFC Africa 12 fightcard shakeup

EFC Africa 12 has taken its first casualty. Welterweight contender Martin van Staden has been forced to pull out of his March 2 bout with Dino Bagattin due to a neck injury. In a video released yesterday, the Fight Fight Militia fighter announced that he had been suffering from an inflamed disk in his neck, which pinched a nerve and said he would not risk permanent damage for a single fight. Below is Van Staden's youtube video release:

This is the second time that the much anticipated Welterweight clash between Dino Bagattin and Martin Van Staden has had to be cancelled. Last year, Bagattin was forced to withdraw from their EFC 10 fight due to injury.

Van Staden has expressed an interested in facing The Lion at EFC 13 in Cape Town come April, once he has fully healed and full prepared. Bagattin however, has stated that he will be fighting at EFC 12 against a yet to be determined opponent.

While this fight, which was almost certainly a number 1 contender bout, has left the Welterweight division in a bit of a predicament, there are potential replacement fights which make sense. Here are my recommendations:

Adam Speechly (#2 Welterweight Rankings) vs Dino Bagattin (#4 Welterweight Rankings)
Adam Speechly will be anxious to get back in the hexagon following his recent title loss. With Van Staden out of the picture, this fight, a rematch of their 2010 clash will certainly determine the number 1 contender and offer Speechly a potential launch pad to reclaiming his title.

Dino Bagattin vs Neil Diesel (#5 Welterweight Rankings) 
This fight would go a long way to sorting out the top 5 of the division. It's a great fight for the MMA connoisseur but may leave the division without a legitimate title contender for Dallas Jakobi, as both Van Staden and Speechly would still have a claim to the shot. It does however open up a potential bout between the Punisher and the Prodigy.

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Cape Fight League 01 – Chris Bright vs Ian Swart

The Cape Fight League brings premier MMA to Cape Town when it presents its first production on 4 February 2012 at the Bellville Velladrome in Cape Town. The event will showcase 13 MMA fights, including the main event of the evening, where South African MMA legend  Chris Bright (26-3) will take on Ian “Chucky” Swart (11-6) in a rematch of their 2010 tussle at EFC Africa 3. Their previous encounter having been won by Chris Bright via Triangle choke in the first round, Swart will be out for revenge. CFL 01 will also host 2 Extreme Striking fights.

Tickets for this event are on sale through Computicket. 

Confirmed MMA fight card for CFL 01:

Chris Bright vs Ian “Chucky” Swart (Lightweight)
Alain Alunga vs Mbasa Cakta  (Welterweight)
Sors Grobbelaar vs Chris Du Pont (Heavyweight)
Gavin Green vs Chad Hepburn (Welterweight)

Confirmed Extreme Fighting fight card for CFL 01:

Jeovani Bushby Vs Dale Alexander (Welterweight)

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Wesley Hawkey vs Denzil Wait announced for EFC 12

In the wake of the recent announcement of Tyron Rightford vs Donavin Hawkey, EFC Africa has confirmed yet another feature fight for its EFC 12 event taking place in March 2012.

Featherweight prospects Wesley “The Young Assassin” Hawkey (6-2) (#2 MMASA Featherweight Rankings) and Denzil “Redstarr” Wait (5-1) (#3 MMASA Featherweight Rankings) will square off in a number one contender match-up, the winner of which will undoubtedly fight reigning featherweight champion Demarte “The Wolf” Pena for the EFC Africa Featherweight title.

Both fighters, ranked second and third in the featherweight division, are undefeated in the Extreme Fighting Championship and have experienced few problems with their previous EFC opponents. Hawkey (2-0 EFC) defeated both Jean-Luc Kazadi and Victor Anyaogu within 2 minutes, while Wait (1-0 EFC) forced a verbal submission from Abdul Hassan at just 2:12 in the first round.

Hawkey vs Wait should be a true test for both men and a great spectacle for South African MMA fans.

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Tyron Rightford vs Donavin Hawkey announced for EFC 12

The EFC Africa 12 fight card, set to take place at Carnival City on March 2, has been further bolstered by the addition of much anticipated Middleweight bout between Donavin "Bam Bamz" Hawkey and Tyron"The Rush" Rightford, in a fight which pits the old school MMA legend, Hawkey, against an up and coming MMA prodigy, Rightford.

Although from different eras, both Hawkey and Rightford recently made my Top 5 MMA Middleweights in South Africa list, making this not only one of the feature fights on the card, but one of the most anticipated fights in the EFC’s short history. There is also a lot at stake, as the winner is almost certainly guaranteed a title shot against the winner of EFC 12’s Middleweight title bout between Garreth McLellan and Jeremy Smith.

The addition of this fight may just have solidified EFC Africa 12 as the single best fight card ever produced on African soil.

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