Cape Town’s GrandWest Arena will make history on July 19 as it hosts the first major MMA event on the African continent. The Professional Fighters League (PFL) Africa 1 will showcase the continent’s top mixed martial arts talent, featuring 18 elite fighters competing in Bantamweight and Heavyweight divisions inside the PFL SmartCage.
Tickets for this landmark event go on sale Thursday, May 22 at 10:00 AM SAST. The event was rescheduled to take place one week earlier than initially announced.
The headline fight will see South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele (8-3) face Egypt’s rising star Mahmoud Atef (5-2) in a Bantamweight Semifinal showdown. The co-main event will feature Cameroon’s Maxwell Djantou Nana (6-1) against Ivory Coast’s powerful Mikael Groguhe (6-2) in a Heavyweight clash.
Additionally, the card includes a Women’s Strawweight Showcase Bout with undefeated Nigerian prospect Juliet Ukah (6-0). Her opponent will be announced soon.
PFL Africa’s first tournament will feature eight-man brackets in both the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions. Details about the full tournament schedule, including semifinal and final host cities, will be released in the coming weeks.
In total, 32 fighters from 15 African countries will compete across four divisions throughout 2025. The league aims to crown the first-ever PFL Africa champions during this continent-wide competition.
