PRETORIA (April 10, 2026) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) marked its inaugural event in Pretoria at the SunBet Arena. The evening featured a full slate of mixed martial arts bouts, delivering impressive performances from various fighters to a captivated South African audience.
In the bantamweight main event for PFL Africa, South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele faced off against Italy’s Michele Clemente. The fight commenced with an exchange of sharp strikes and elbows. Clemente, known as “The Arrow,” applied consistent pressure, but Ndebele, the “King of Many Nations,” effectively countered his advances. The bout was a closely contested classic, ultimately resulting in a unanimous decision victory for the South African fighter.
The heavyweight division witnessed a thrilling encounter between Senegal’s Abdoulaye Kane and South Africa’s Justin Clarke. Kane initiated the action with a powerful early combination that visibly impacted Clarke. However, the hometown fighter demonstrated resilience, retaliating with a decisive counter right hand that sent Kane to the canvas, securing a TKO win for Clarke.
Nigeria’s David Samuel made a strong start to his welterweight tournament campaign. He submitted Abdelrahman Mohammad in the first round after landing several significant punches. Once the fight moved to the ground, Samuel secured the submission with minimal damage sustained.
In another welterweight tournament bout, Rivaldo Pereira, a late replacement from Guinea-Bissau, capitalized on his opportunity. Stepping in with only one day’s notice, Pereira defeated Kunle Lawal in the opening round. He first landed a body shot that dropped Lawal, then finished the fight with ground-and-pound strikes, advancing to the next stage. With these victories, Samuel and Pereira are slated to face each other in the semi-finals, pitting two formidable finishers against one another.
Angola’s Shido Boris Esperança delivered a near-perfect performance against Emilios Dassi, securing his passage to the next round of the welterweight tournament. After taking Dassi down, Esperança quickly established top control and unleashed a barrage of elbows and punches, leading to a first-round stoppage by the referee.
In a separate welterweight tournament match, Yabna “The Panther” N’Tchala began aggressively against Peace Nguphane, landing heavy strikes early on. Nguphane recovered and shifted the fight’s momentum by securing takedowns and maintaining dominant top position. His ground-and-pound attack swayed the judges, earning him a unanimous decision victory, much to the delight of the local crowd. Esperança and Nguphane are now set to compete in the semi-finals later this year.
An all-Nigerian catchweight bout featured Juliet Ukah and Jane Osigwe trading strikes from the outset. Ukah, a Police Corporal known as “Golden Bones,” controlled the center of the cage and landed consistent counter shots as the fight progressed. Her measured offense and cleaner strikes impressed two of the three judges, resulting in a split decision win for Ukah.
The results from PFL Africa’s Pretoria event are as follows:
- Nkosi Ndebele (12-3) defeated Michele Clemente (7-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Justin Clarke (5-1) defeated Abdoulaye Kane (5-2) via TKO (punches) in round 1 at 2:12.
- Peace Nguphane (9-3) defeated Yabna N’Tchala (14-3-1) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Shido Boris Esperança (12-2) defeated Emilios Dassi (5-3) via TKO (elbows and punches) in round one at 3:17.
- Rivaldo Pereira (4-2) defeated Kunle Lawal (3-2) via TKO (punch to body and elbows) in round one at 2:09.
- Juliet Ukah (9-0) defeated Jane Osigwe (5-4) via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28).
- David Samuel (6-0) defeated Abdelrahman Mohammad (5-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:03 of round one.
- Abdoul Razac Sankara (7-5) vs. Áureo Cruz (3-0) ended in a No Contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:18 into round 2.
- Shadrack Dju Yemba (6-1) defeated Jean-Jacques Lubaya (9-3) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
- Asiashu Tshitamba (7-5) defeated Shannon van Tonder (7-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Felista-Mutheu Mugo (6-2-1) defeated Annet Kiiza (3-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).
