As the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) gears up for the eighth edition of the African Championships, the tournament has truly become the biggest fully amateur event taking place in the African continent hosted under the umbrella of the only WADA-signatory governing body for MMA.
And throughout the years, the African Championships has provided a glimpse into the future of the entire sport, with several past participants going on to compete across the UFC, BRAVE CF, PFL, ONE Championship, and many other global and regional professional organizations.
Ahead of the 2024 edition, we look at some of the top athletes that have competed in previous years, and what they went on to achieve, as the African Championships continues to provide a definitive pathway to superstar status within the MMA world, as well as a safe learning space for future professional athletes.
In the first installment of this two-part series, we look at some of the stand-out talent from the earlier editions of the African Championships, with several gold medalists going on to achieve superstar status in the professional ranks.
In 2016, two big names joined the ranks for the first edition of the African Championships and went on to forge incredible careers as professionals. 2016 IMMAF African Flyweight champion Luthando Biko turned pro in early 2017 and earned titles in two different weight classes under the EFC, South Africa’s premier MMA promotion.
He has also fought abroad for the likes of Pancrase, UAE Warriors, and Ares FC, and has now joined BRAVE Combat Federation on a multi-fight deal, aiming to become the promotion’s first 125lbs titleholder.
Tobias Harila has been a staple of MMA in Europe in the last few years, but he was also a beneficiary of IMMAF’s foothold in Africa, as the early editions of the African Open provided him with valuable lessons. ‘’Bad Intention’’ became a 2016 champion and went on to fight under top European promotions such as Cage Warriors and FCR and had a one-fight stint at BRAVE CF as well.
The man of the hour at BRAVE Combat Federation is Nkosi Ndebele. Fresh from the first title defense of his Bantamweight reign, ‘’The Future’’ first caught the eye of the Bahraini promotion during his run at the 2017 African Championship, when he earned a gold medal at Featherweight. Following successful campaigns in a few other IMMAF events, he turned pro under BRAVE CF in 2019.
At 0-0, he faced a 14-2 veteran and came out as the winner, proving that the experience he gained in his IMMAF years translated seamlessly into his professional debut. Since then, Ndebele has amassed a 8-2 pro record and has closed down a much-talked about rivalry with 2014 & 2015 IMMAF world champion Jose Torres with two consecutive wins in BRAVE CF’s first-ever trilogy.
A teammate and friend of Ndebele, Eliezer Kubanza has also benefitted immensely from the IMMAF platform. A 2017 African IMMAF champion, the now Super Welterweight (175lbs) has become a force to be reckoned with at BRAVE CF, winning two fights by first-round KO and becoming the first-ever Congolese fighter to join the Bahraini organization.
In 2018 and 2019, two up-and-comers of the MMA world also left their mark in the IMMAF African Championships. Abbas Khan won a gold medal in 2018 and went on to fight for BRAVE CF and has now been signed to compete in the PFL Mena tournament.
In 2019, Ceileigh Niedermayr, from South Africa, continued her road towards the pro ranks in style as she became the African champion with victory over Kenfack Nadia. Niedermayr wrapped up a victorious amateur career with a 7-1 record and is continuing her professional journey most recently picking up a major win at UAE Warriors
Stay tuned for Part 2, when we delve into the UFC fighters who had their big amateur break under the IMMAF African Championships umbrella, and the stand-out talent that has taken over the tournament in recent years.
