Dakota Ditcheva is set to compete again in the PFL as the organization begins its new initiative in Africa this summer.
As the 2024 flyweight champion, she is widely regarded as one of the world`s top female fighters, often considered, alongside Paul Hughes, one of the PFL`s most promising talents developed within the promotion. Despite her success, she had expressed worry about not having a fight scheduled for this year, especially after competing in the European and Global formats for two consecutive seasons.
It has now been confirmed by the promotion that her next fight will be on July 26th at the first-ever PFL Africa event in Cape Town, South Africa. Her opponent will be Sumiko Inaba, a fighter with experience from Bellator. The event will also feature Johnny Eblen defending his middleweight championship against Costello Van Steenis.
PFL Africa Launches in Cape Town on July 26 with Major Card Featuring Dakota Ditcheva
Following extensive preparations over several years, the PFL has now officially announced that its first PFL Africa event will be held on July 26th in Cape Town. This event is planned to include the start of several eight-man tournaments, alongside a `Champions Series` showcase which will feature prominently.
Headlining the event will be Dakota Ditcheva`s first bout since she won the $1 million PFL Global tournament last year. The card will also feature a middleweight title defense, with more fights to be revealed later.
The PFL Africa tournament portion will begin with a heavyweight matchup between Jashell Ticha Awa representing Cameroon and Justin Clarke from South Africa. Another heavyweight fight announced is Abdoullah Kane of Senegal against Mohammad Ben Yahia of Morocco.
For the bantamweight category, Nkosi Ndebele from South Africa is scheduled to face Mahmoud Atef of Egypt. The last fight confirmed so far features Simbarashe Hokonya of Zimbabwe competing against Abderrahman Errachidy from Morocco.
Francis Ngannou to Lead PFL Africa Initiative
Francis Ngannou is spearheading the PFL Africa project together with CEO Peter Murray and Elias Schulze, who was involved in establishing NBA Africa. Ngannou will hold the official position of Chairman.
In a statement, Murray highlighted that launching the PFL Champions Series in Cape Town concurrently with PFL Africa demonstrates the organization`s dedication to expanding MMA across the continent and creating opportunities for African athletes to compete globally and achieve championship status.
He added that with the addition of PFL Africa, following PFL Europe and PFL MENA, the PFL`s international expansion strategy and presence in the sport are unparalleled. Murray credited this growth to assembling a strong team and expressed pride in partnering with Francis Ngannou and excitement in welcoming Elias Schulze as the General Manager for PFL Africa.
Gareth Pendleton