African Combat Sports Scene Back On The Rise
The African combat sports scene is one that, although still in the early building phases, already holds a lot of promise. The global pandemic affected the sports industry on the African continent much like it did everywhere else but, in a way, is also serving as a reset for the entire landscape. Elsewhere in the world, there are various Africans who can be found making great contributions to the combat sports industry, and some of those events are even made to honor talent from the continent. For example, UAE Warriors will be having their all-African fight night in mid-February this year. The combat scene continues to be one of the most intriguing and, as we move into the 2022 combat calendar, fans can expect bigger and better events all around.
Extreme Fighting Championship
The EFC, as Africa’s leading MMA promotion, continues to be a cornerstone in Africa’s combat scene. Last year, the promotion made their official move to their performance institute, had a host debuting talent, had their first Fight Night event, and celebrated their landmark 90th event. They had a great comeback from the pandemic in 2021 and, moving into 2022, there is certainly quite a bit to look forward to. EFC are currently still on break but will return with EFC 92 in early March, and that event will be headlined by Luke Michael vs. Pupanga Tresor for the EFC Middleweight Championship. More debuts can be expected too but the major headline for the year will be the milestone EFC 100 event. EFC 100 will probably be at the end of the year and fight fans will surely be treated to quite an action-packed night.
Thaiholics Fight Promotions
2021 also saw the push of Muay Thai on the African continent as Thaiholics Fight Promotions (TFP) revamped itself. Their first event back was on October 2nd, and was appropriately titled “The Reload”. Just over a month later, they put on their second event “Recruitment”. What makes TFP so unique is that it is probably the first of it’s kind to be placed on the African continent. The events are broadcast on the official YouTube channel free of charge, so as to allow more exposure and engagement with the Muay Thai art. In 2022, fans can hope to be treated to more events – perhaps even taking on a monthly event schedule. With their focus on up-and-coming talent, it provides an amazing platform for new fight fans to be eased into the world of combat sports with a compelling fight style.
ESPN Africa Boxing
One of the biggest stories heading into this year was the return of ESPN Africa Boxing. Although EFC allowed MMA to be on the rise once more on the African continent, boxing was not as fortunate. Throughout the 2021 year, several events got pulled and that left many boxing fans starving for action. ESPN Africa Boxing comes to the rescue as they will host monthly events showcasing the best that the continent has to offer. The commentary team alone is enough to get fight fans invested, as figures already seen as the voices of African combat sports will come together for the experience. The events will certainly provide opportunity for boxers to step into the ring and do what they love, for the whole continent (and the rest of the world) to see. The first revamped ESPN Africa Boxing event will take place on January 27th, and many will be looking forward to the return of regular boxing events.
Those are just the major highlights but there are several other things that fight fans on the African continent can look forward to. 2022 could be the year that the African combat scene stabilizes and finds its footing once more, and all these events will be the perfect guide.
Do be sure to keep checking back to MyMMANews for all the latest in African combat.
