Latest news with #PFLChampionsSeries:Africa
USA Today
17-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Eblen vs. van Steenis winner will leave PFL Africa with upgraded middleweight belt
The PFL main event winner at Saturday might want to take his new belt home as a carryon and not in his checked luggage. The extra weight might incur an extra charge. Johnny Eblen (16-0) will go into his middleweight title fight against Costello van Steenis (16-3) as, technically, the Bellator 185-pound champion. If he wins at PFL Champions Series: Africa in Cape Town, the belt he'll leave with is the PFL middleweight title. And that piece of hardware has been revealed. PFL's description of it: "a 12-pound masterpiece crafted from aircraft-grade metals, plated in 24-karat gold and mirror-polished nickel, adorned with 175 sparkling stones." Eblen said in a statement released by the promotion that he preferred the new belt to the one he has currently, which migrated over from Bellator after the PFL bought the promotion and dissolved it. Eblen beat Gegard Mousasi three years ago to win Bellator's middleweight title and defended it twice before the PFL merger. Since then, he beat Impa Kasanganay in a Bellator vs. PFL champ-vs.-champ matchup and defended the belt again, but under the PFL banner, against Fabian Edwards. Fan favorite van Steenis has won four of his past five, but most recently his Von Flue choke win over Gregory Babene 14 months ago and a highlight-reel head kick KO in a featured bout at the PFL 2024 championships caught enough attention to warrant a title shot. "This looks good on me because I'm a real champion. This is coming home with me. I'm going to give my life for this one," van Steenis said in a statement about the new belt. For the first time, the PFL has set up shop in Africa for a Champions Series event at the southern tip of the continent in Cape Town, South Africa. It will mark the first major MMA event on the continent. PFL Champions Series: Africa takes place at GrandWest Arena in Cape Town. The card streams on ESPN+ at 5 p.m.
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFL Champions Series: Africa – Make your predictions for Cape Town debut
We want your predictions for Saturday's PFL Champions Series: Africa event in Cape Town, South Africa. Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we'll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT). Those reader consensus picks will be part of the staff predictions we release ahead of PFL Champions Series: Africa (ESPN+), which takes place at GrandWest Arena. Make your picks below. Corey Anderson vs. Denis Goltsov Takeshi Izumi vs. Artur Zaynukov Akhmed Magomedov vs. A.J. McKee Dakota Ditcheva vs. Sumiko Inaba Johnny Eblen vs. Costello van Steenis MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How to watch PFL Champions\u00a0Series: Africa – Who's fighting, lineup, start time, odds
For the first time, the PFL has set up shop in Africa for a PFL Champions Series event at the southern tip of the continent in Cape Town, South Africa. Here's how to watch PFL Champions Series: Africa with lineups, fight info and more. Broadcast and streaming info PFL Champions Series: Africa takes place Saturday at GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa. The card streams on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET and features a middleweight title fight at the top of the lineup. Main event: Johnny Eblen Main event: Costello van Steenis Co-main event: Dakota Ditcheva Co-main event: Sumiko Inaba PFL Champions Series: Africa lineup (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET) Preview videos
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dakota Ditcheva: Long layoff 'kind of worth it' to fight at PFL Africa debut
Dakota Ditcheva: Long layoff 'kind of worth it' to fight at PFL Africa debut Dakota Ditcheva is glad to be back in action at PFL Champions Series: Africa following a period of inactivity that left her frustrated. After being sidelined since October, Ditcheva revealed in April some of her disappointment with PFL not putting her back in the cage on a timeline she desired in an interview with MMA Junkie. Shortly thereafter, news came she would be returning to competition in the summer. Although Ditcheva (14-0) said her comments caused some awkwardness with PFL behind the scenes, she said it ultimately worked out in her favor. She will now face Sumiko Inaba (8-1) on the July 19 card in Cape Town, the inaugural event for the PFL in South Africa. "This sport takes you places you probably wouldn't be able to visit if it didn't have organizations like this taking it around the world," Ditcheva said. "You have to be very grateful with the opportunity you get in MMA and being able to be co-main event on a card like this to make history, it's crazy to me. I guess the wait this year was kind of worth it." Ditcheva, 26, said her communication with the PFL brass has somewhat improved, along with her understanding of the hectic schedule the brass is pushing through to grow the brand across the globe. Whether she is part of that for the long term remains to be seen, because she said she is still "figuring a few things out" and negotiating specifics. One thing Ditcheva is confident in, however, is more consistent activity. She said the company has obligations to honor, and if she gets past Inaba, who is a name she has to take "serious," then she will be eying the winner of the 2025 PFL World Tournament in the women's flyweight division. "I haven't really got much direction yet," Ditcheva said. "I know they are going to keep me busy. They have to. You will see me fight again this year for sure. ... I'm hungry. How they have another champ this year when I won it last year? They should be challenging me, not all fighting each other to get another belt. "Why am I not in that tournament defending my belt? It just makes me hungry. This fight isn't for a belt, so I'm still going to go with the same hunger, but I'm going to make a statement to everyone that the belt they're fighting for this year should be mine, not theirs."
