The Professional Fighters League has announced that tickets for its inaugural PFL Africa event in Cape Town will go on sale at 10:00am SAST on Thursday, May 22. Fans can be part of history by purchasing their tickets for the first global MMA event ever hosted in Africa.

PFL Africa 1 is now scheduled for Saturday, July 19 at GrandWest Arena, taking place one week earlier than previously announced. The event will showcase elite African talent in both the Bantamweight and Heavyweight divisions, launching a new era for combat sports on the continent.

Main Event and Tournament Highlights

In the main event, South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele (8-3) faces Egypt’s Mahmoud Atef (5-2) in a thrilling Bantamweight Semifinal. The co-main event features Cameroon’s Maxwell Djantou Nana (6-1) against Ivory Coast’s Mikael Groguhe (6-2) in a high-powered Heavyweight showdown.

A special Women’s Strawweight Showcase Bout will also highlight undefeated Nigerian prospect Juliet Ukah (6-0), with her opponent to be announced soon. The full fight card includes additional Bantamweight and Heavyweight clashes featuring Shannon Van Tonder vs. Boule Godogo, Jashell Ticha Awa vs. Justin Clarke, Antero Dos Santos vs. Karim Henniene, Abdoullah Kane vs. Mohammed Ben Yahia, Simbarashe Hokonya vs. Alain Majorique, and Badredinne Medkouri vs. a to-be-announced challenger.

The PFL Africa tournament will use an eight-man bracket format per division, with full schedules and semifinal and final locations to be released soon. A total of 32 fighters from 15 African nations will compete across four divisions in 2025 to determine the first-ever PFL Africa Champions.

Road to Dubai Set to Follow Cape Town Event

The event will also set the stage for the upcoming PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, bringing the world’s best MMA fighters to African fans. Middleweight World Champion Johnny “Pressure” Eblen (16-0) will defend his undefeated record against Spain’s Costello “The Spaniard” van Steenis (16-3) in the Dubai headliner.

In the co-main event, Women’s Flyweight sensation Dakota “Dangerous” Ditcheva (14-0) meets Hawaii’s Sumiko “Lady Samurai” Inaba (8-1) in a pound-for-pound showdown. Additional bouts in the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai will be announced shortly.