PFL Europe’s Frans Mlambo On the Cusp of Stardom Despite Long Odds

The BIGGEST NIGHT in European MMA history 🤩

💥 @SMOOTH_MMA vs @jakob_mma
💥 @dakotadofficial vs Valentina Scatizzi
💥 John Mitchell vs @kielbasaFL
💥 @FransMlambo vs Khurshed Kakhorov

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Frans Mlambo fought back the urge to retire several times in his career and is just now starting to reap the fruits of his labor.

Fighting out of Straight Blast Gym in Ireland, which is also home to Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Conor McGregor, Mlambo’s mixed martial arts career hasn’t been a smooth ride. Apart from going back and forth in his early career, “The Zulu Irishman” even considered retirement at times due to a lack of opportunities.

“Throughout the years there’s actually been a few times where that’s happened. I’ve thought, ‘This sport is flipping stupid. I’m working too hard and not getting the returns.’ If I was working that hard doing something else I don’t feel like it would be the same. A few times I thought I’d stop but the only reason I didn’t stop was because I’d already worked too hard at it. I had to see it through,” Mlambo recently told The Sun.

However, things changed for Mlambo after signing with the Professional Fighters League earlier this year, where he believes he is receiving his due recognition. The bantamweight fighter is now in the final stage of the PFL Europe tournament with a $100,000 winner-take-all prize up for grabs and a chance to enter the $1 million global season. Set to take on Khurshed Kakhorov (11-1) in front of his home fans at the 3Arena in Dublin, Mlambo already has his eyes set on bigger things.

“I’m after doing back-to-back wins and I’m in a final. The PFL are hyping me up something crazy. I appreciate that and it’s not something any organization has done, which I felt I deserved. The hundred grand isn’t really going to change much when there’s a million out there. That’s a whole different story. We’re trying to get there and we’re on that path now but this is just a warmup. This isn’t the end by any means.”