EFC AFRICA 09 full fight card released

(PRESS RELEASE) -- EFC AFRICA presents its ninth monumental fight card brimming with African MMA talent. Fourteen fights and a host of top fighters have been confirmed for EFC AFRICA 09, where a number of local MMA legends, as well as promising newcomers, will give their all in the EFC AFRICA hexagon.

The SA heavyweight rankings are in for a brutal shake-up when four of SA’s top 5 heavyweights do battle. For the evening’s main event, Ruan ‘Fangzz’ Potts challenges Norman ‘Chef’ Wessels for the EFC AFRICA heavyweight title. Potts has left a 12 fight trail of destruction in his wake and now only one obstacle remains, reigning champion Norman ‘Chef’ Wessels. At EFC AFRICA 09, Wessels will rise to the challenge and make his stand, attempting to defend his title for the first time since becoming champion at EFC AFRICA 05. Wessels’ 4-1 record belies his frightful stopping power, but Potts will put everything on the line to add a title as well as a win to his perfect record of 12-0.

At middleweight, old adversaries Jeremy ‘Pitbull’ Smith and Liam Cleland face each other for Smith’s EFC AFRICA debut. Smith has a phenomenal 9-1 record and has already garnered international recognition. However, the single loss on Smith’s record was put there by Cleland, and Smith is raring to settle the score. Cleland has a record of 3-1 and will surely use all of his formidable jiu-jitsu weapons in this hugely anticipated rematch.

In the featherweight division, EFC AFRICA veteran ‘King’ Leo Gloss (8-2) takes on newcomer Charlie ‘Silky Smooth’ Weyer (0-0). Weyer may be new to the competitive MMA circuit, but he holds an undefeated boxing record and has been polishing his MMA game for the last year in preparation for his debut. Gloss also comes from a boxing background and has proven himself one of EFC AFRICA’s most dominant strikers, becoming SA’s top ranked featherweight in the process. Prepare for a stand-up clash to remember!

For such a massive occasion it is only fitting that EFC AFRICA 09 features EFC AFRICA’s first super heavyweight bout: Dewald Botes vs Daniel Strauss. Both behemoths top the scales at over 140kg, and with the amount of mass behind each strike a knockout is virtually guaranteed.

Many more memorable clashes await:
Former heavyweight title contender Bernardo Mikixi makes his long-awaited return to the cage against Andrew ‘One Gear’ van Zyl. Both fighters have had 6 fights; Mikixi holds 4 wins while van Zyl is undefeated, and both are equally eager to begin fighting towards title contention.

Wiehahn Lesch joins the EFC AFRICA middleweight division to take on Wade Henderson. A former world champion wrestler, Lesch now looks forward to his 27th fight where his wrestling against Henderson’s Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu will provide an interesting clash of styles.

At welterweight, Leon ‘Iron Lion’ Mynhardt re-joins EFC AFRICA, fired up to improve his 9-3 record. Facing him is DRC’s Francois ‘The Frenchman’ Kabulu (5-0). Both are top 5 SA welterweights with strong striking backgrounds, and a win will propel either towards a shot at the title. Also at welterweight is the clash between Martin ‘The Punisher’ van Staden (15-5) and Nigeria’s Steven ‘Extra Mile’ Momah (4-0). Van Staden already has a huge following in SA MMA and relishes the opportunity to win over EFC fans. However, the only way to do so is by overcoming an unbeaten Nigerian prodigy.

EFC AFRICA 09 takes place at the Coca-Cola Dome on 30 June. View EFC AFRICA 09 live for free by visiting http://www.efcafrica.com/livestream_09.html on event day. The show kicks off at 7:30pm South African time. More information available at efcafrica.com.

EFC AFRICA Heavyweight Championship
NORMAN WESSELS vs. RUAN POTTS
Plus
JEREMY SMITH vs. LIAM CLELAND
LEO GLOSS vs. CHARLIE WEYER
And
BERNARDO MIKIXI (ANG) vs. ANDREW VAN ZYL
DANIEL STRAUSS vs. DEWALD BOTES
FRANCOIS KABULU (DRC) vs. LEON MYNHARDT
STEVEN MOMAH (NGR) vs. MARTIN VAN STADEN
WENTZEL NEL vs. MANNY DA SILVA
ASHLEY CALVERT vs. WADE GROTH
WADE HENDERSON vs. WIEHAHN LESCH
MAWANDE VAPI vs. MICHIEL OPPERMAN
TEZ MAKUEBO (DRC) vs. TYRON RIGHTFORD
RAYMOND AHANA (NGR) vs. JEREMY SCHEEPERS
TERRENCE GRIESSEL vs. DONALD NZIRAWA (ZIM)