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Professional Fighters League (PFL) is set to touch down in Africa for the first time ever later TODAY (Sat., July 19, 2025) inside GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa, featuring first round tournament matchups in the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions.
The event will be a two-for-one type of deal, as top billing will go the PFL Champions Series 2: “Road to Dubai” portion of the event spearheaded by Johnny Eblen (16-0) taking on Costello van Steenis (16-3). In the co-main event, undefeated 2024 PFL champion, Dakota Ditcheva (14-0), will lock horns with Sumiko Inaba (8-1).
That’s not all.
A.J. McKee (22-2) makes his return to face off against Akhmed Magomedov (11-1) in a Lightweight affair, while Corey Anderson (19-6) battles Denis Goltsov (36-8) in a highly-intriguing Heavyweight showdown.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, with “Prelims” set to begin at 10 a.m. ET streaming on ESPN+ (main card start time at 2 p.m. ET, also on ESPN+). Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
PFL Champions Series 2: ‘Road to Dubai’ Quick Results:
185 lbs.: Johnny Eblen vs. Costello Van Steenis125 lbs.: Dakota Ditcheva vs. Sumiko Inaba155 lbs.: A.J. McKee vs. Akhmed Magomedov265 lbs.: Corey Anderson vs. Denis Goltsov155 lbs.: Artur Zaynukov vs. Takeshi Izumi115 lbs.: Juliet Ukah vs. Ceileigh Niedermayr
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Photo by Adekunle Ajayi
PFL Cape Town Quick Results:
Bantamweight Tournament
135 lbs.: Nkosi Ndebele vs. Mahmoud Atef135 lbs.: Shannon Van Tonder vs. Boule Godogo135 lbs.: Asiashu Tshitamba vs. Karim Henniene – Henniene via split-decision135 lbs.: Simbarashe Hokonya vs. Frans Mlambo – Hokonya via unanimous decision
Heavyweight Tournament
265 lbs.: Maxwell Djantou Nana vs. Mikael Groguhe265 lbs.: Jashell Ticha Awa vs. Justin Clarke – Clarke via first-round TKO (doctor)265 lbs.: Abdoullah Kane vs. Joffie Houlton – Houlton via first-round DQ – Illegal knee265 lbs.: Abraham Bably vs. Badr Medkouri – Bably via first-round KO125 lbs.: Juliet Ukah vs. Ceileigh Niedermayr – Ukah via unanimous decision
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Watch PFL Cape Town On ESPN+!
PFL Champions Series 2 ignites Cape Town on Sat., July 19, 2025, with a thrilling Middleweight title defense in the main event as undefeated champion Johnny Eblen (16-0) faces international talent, Costello van Steenis (16-3), while the co-main event features women’s Flyweight champion, Dakota Ditcheva (14-0), against Bellator veteran, Sumiko Inaba (8-1) in a non-title clash, alongside electrifying Heavyweight and Bantamweight tournaments showcasing Africa’s fiercest fighters.
Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!
For all the latest PFL news and notes click here.
