The Professional Fighters League (PFL) Africa season began last Friday with a stacked card at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa. Headquartered in the United States, PFL, a mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, is growing globally with events taking place in North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
South African bantamweight Nkosi Ndebele (12-3) made sure the home fans went home joyous when he defeated Italian Michele Clemente (7-2) via unanimous decision in the main event.
In a battle between Nigerian women, Juliet Ukah, a police corporal by day, defeated Jane Osigwe by split decision. In a heavyweight contest that featured another South African competitor, Justin Clarke defeated Senegal’s Abdoulaye Kane by TKO. PFL Africa’s next event will be on June 13 in Nigeria at the Eko Arena in Lagos, featuring 2025 PFL Africa featherweight champion Wasi Adeshina fighting in his native country against Spaniard Ignacio Campos. In the co-main event, Nigerian lightweight Patrick Ocheme will face Cameroonian Octave Ayinda. Dominican UFC star Waldo Cortes-Acosta, a former minor league pitcher from 2010 to 2012 with the Dominican Summer League Reds (an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds), who defeated MMA legend Derrick Lewis earlier this year, is scheduled to battle Alexander Volkov in the co-main event at UFC 328 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Saturday, May 9. Meanwhile, on Friday night at the same venue, 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hebert Conceicao Sousa (11-0, 5 KOs) overcame a third-round knockdown to defeat Johan Gonzalez (36-5, 34 KOs) by unanimous decision. For a second straight weekend, London, England, hosted a major boxing promotion. On Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (35-2-1) returned from a 16-month absence to dominate Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-3), 120-108, 119-109, and 120-108. Fury, who suffered the only two losses of his career in 2024 to Oleksandr Usyk, directly challenged Anthony Joshua, who was seated ringside. Joshua (29-4) has also lost to Usyk twice, after he was victorious. “Here’s the thing: If it ain’t Anthony Joshua next, I’m not interested in boxing,” Fury said of the England native, who was previously a two-time unified world heavyweight champion.
“I’m not interested. It’s either him or I’m gone again … I don’t care about rankings. I don’t care about belts. I only care now about AJ — that fight. That’s the defining fight for British boxing. It’s either going to happen, or it’s not.”