UFC - The African Mirror

Jan

2024

World Champion: Dricus du Plessis beats Strickland to take UFC middleweight title

FOURTY one years after the small town of Boksburg in Gauteng, South Africa produced a world champion, it has done it again. Du Plessis outpointed Sean Strickland to claim a split-decision win and the UFC middleweight title at UFC 297 at the Scotiabank Arena on Saturday, becoming South Africa's first world champion in the promotion. Du Plessis' historic feat came 41 years after Gerrie Coetzee - known as the “Boksburg Bomber” - defeated American Michael Dokes to become the first South African to win the world heavyweight boxing championship. Despite some stiff jabs from Strickland, who won the belt in…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Mixed Martial Arts: EFC Africa 89

SPORT

The stage was for an amazing evening of fighting at the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) performance institute in Johannesburg, South Africa. The EFC provided an evening to remember with 9 electric fights culminating in a show-stopping main event flyweight bout, won by Nkazimulo Zulu, by way of submission. Zulu was able to force opponent Luthando Biko to tap out in the second round of the main event. Unfortunately, Zulu was not able to walk away with the championship belt due to missing the flyweight weigh-in limit. Biko was caught by surprise, being a confident ground operator, by Zulu who is…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa ascends to the UFC throne

SPORT

CAMEROONIAN Mixed Martial Arts heavyweight Francis Ngannou has been through more than most on his journey to becoming the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion. “I felt like I missed my childhood, I had to work at a young age and it wasn’t enough” said Ngannou. From the age of 10, in Batie, Cameroon, Ngannou had to work in a sand quarry to help the living standards at home. “We had to work, to contribute to the village,” he said. Additionally, he had to wake up at 5am to start navigating the six mile long journey to school was a…