MMA history was made Saturday night as PFL Africa launched its inaugural season at the Grand Arena in GrandWest, with unforgettable finishes, breakout performances, and a jaw-dropping comeback that capped a night of historic firsts.

In the main event, Dutch fighter Costello “The Spaniard” Van Steenis (17-3) delivered what may go down as one of the greatest comebacks in MMA history, submitting previously undefeated Johnny “Pressure” Eblen (16-1) in the final seconds of Round 5 to capture the PFL Middleweight World Championship. Eblen had dominated most of the fight and appeared headed for a clear decision win — until Van Steenis took his back and locked in a rear naked choke at 4:51 of the fifth round, putting the champ to sleep and the crowd into a frenzy.

Dakota Ditcheva dazzles, AJ McKee and Corey Anderson shine

In the co-main event, unbeaten UK striker Dakota “Dangerous” Ditcheva (15-0) delivered a masterclass against Sumiko “Lady Samurai” Inaba (8-2). Using a brutal mix of Muay Thai strikes and slick clinch work, Ditcheva battered her opponent across all three rounds to take a dominant unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-24), remaining perfect as she continues her rise in the women’s flyweight division.

Former Bellator featherweight king AJ McKee (23-2) returned to his natural weight class and picked apart Akhmed Magomedov (11-2) in a clean sweep decision (30-27 x3), blending his striking and grappling with veteran polish.

Meanwhile, Corey “Overtime” Anderson (19-6, 1 NC) made a thunderous return to the Heavyweight division for the first time in over a decade. After weathering early shots from 2024 PFL Heavyweight Champion Denis “The Russian Bogatyr” Goltsov (36-9), Anderson landed a crushing body shot and finished with ground-and-pound to score a second-round TKO.

Artur Zaynukov (16-4) also impressed, extending his win streak to six with a dominant wrestling display over Japan’s Takeshi Izumi (6-4), winning every round on the judges’ scorecards (30-27 x3).

PFL Africa Tournament delivers action, confirms semifinalists

The 2025 PFL Africa Tournament kicked off with fireworks, as eight fighters advanced to the semifinals in the Bantamweight and Heavyweight divisions:

Bantamweight Semifinals:

• Nkosi Ndebele (9-3) vs. Simbarashe Hokonya (6-0)

• Boule Godogo (4-0) vs. Karim Henniene (5-0)

Heavyweight Semifinals:

• Maxwell Djantou Nana (7-1) vs. Justin Clarke (3-0)

• Joffie Houlton (8-4) vs. Abraham Bably (6-2)

Highlights included:

• Nkosi Ndebele scoring a TKO win with seconds left in Round 1.

• Justin Clarke winning via doctor stoppage after a dominant round.

• Abraham Bably delivering a walk-off KO at 4:59 of Round 1.

Also on the card, Juliet Ukah (7-0) stayed unbeaten with a clean unanimous decision over Ceileigh Niedermayr (3-3).

Full Results – PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai – Cape Town

Main Card:

• Costello van Steenis def. Johnny Eblen via SUB (RNC) at 4:51 of R5

• Dakota Ditcheva def. Sumiko Inaba via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-24)

• AJ McKee def. Akhmed Magomedov via UD (30-27 x3)

• Artur Zaynukov def. Takeshi Izumi via UD (30-27 x3)

• Corey Anderson def. Denis Goltsov via TKO (strikes) at 3:28 of R2

Africa Tournament – First Round Results:

• Nkosi Ndebele def. Mahmoud Atef via TKO (strikes) – R1, 4:50

• Maxwell Djantou Nana def. Mickael Groguhe via UD (30-27 x2, 30-25)

• Boule Godogo def. Shannon van Tonder via SD (30-26, 29-27, 28-29)

• Justin Clarke def. Jashell Ticha Awa via TKO (doctor stoppage) – R1, 5:00

• Karim Henniene def. Asiashu Tshitamba via SD (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

• Joffie Houlton def. Abdoulaye Kane via DQ (Illegal Knee) – R1, 0:40

• Simbarashe Hokonya def. Frans Mlambo via UD (30-26 x2, 30-25)

• Abraham Bably def. Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze via KO (punch) – R1, 4:59

• Juliet Ukah def. Ceileigh Niedermayr via UD (30-27 x3)