PFL Africa is set to arrive sooner than originally planned. The Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced on Tuesday that its inaugural event on the African continent has been moved forward, from the initial date of July 26 to July 19.
The event, titled PFL Africa, will take place at the GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa. It will feature two distinct parts. The second portion is a PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai card, headlined by middleweight champion Johnny Eblen defending his belt against Costello van Steenis.
The co-main event for the Champions Series will see undefeated flyweight prospect Dakota Ditcheva face Sumiko Inaba.
The first part of the night, officially designated as PFL Africa 1, kicks off the regional Africa tournaments for the heavyweight and bantamweight divisions. The lineup for PFL Africa 1 tournament bouts is as follows:
PFL Africa 1 Tournament Bouts
- Nkosi Ndebele vs. Mahmoud Atef — Bantamweight
- Maxwell Djantou Nana vs. Mikael Groguhe — Heavyweight
- Shannon Van Tonder vs. Boule Godogo — Bantamweight
- Jashell Ticha Awa vs. Justin Clarke — Heavyweight
- Antero Dos Santos vs. Karim Henniene — Bantamweight
- Abdoullah Kane vs. Mohammed Ben Yahia — Heavyweight
- Simbarashe Hokonya vs. Alain Majorique — Bantamweight
- Badredinne Medkouri vs. TBD — Heavyweight
Additional Bout
- Juliet Ukah vs. TBD
Notably, the revised date of July 19 positions PFL Africa directly against UFC 318. UFC`s event is headlined by a highly anticipated trilogy fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier, billed by some as Poirier`s final professional bout.
Oliver Croft