The Professional Fighters League (PFL) mixed martial arts promotion has announced that its first event in Africa will take place at the GrandWest Arena in Cape Town on July 26.
The event will mark the official launch of PFL Africa, which will be the organisation’s third international league. GrandWest Arena has a seated capacity of up to 5,000 and is able to host 7,000 people with standing room.
The 2025 PFL Africa tournament will begin with first-round matchups in the heavyweight and bantamweight divisions. Each division will feature an eight-man bracket, with fighters advancing through semi-finals and finals.
The Cape Town event will also be headlined by five PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai bouts. In the world title main event, middleweight world champion Johnny Eblen will face Spain’s Costello van Steenis, while in the co-main event, 2024 PFL world champion Dakota Ditcheva will take on Hawaii’s Sumiko Inaba.
PFL initially announced plans for its new Africa league in July last year. PFL Africa will be led by global MMA icon Francis Ngannou as chairman, with Helios Sports & Entertainment Group also on board as an investor.
Elias Schulze, who has nearly two decades of experience in strategy, finance and operations across over 20 African markets, will serve as general manager of PFL Africa and oversee its launch and expansion. The full tournament schedule, along with host cities for the semi-finals and finals, will be announced shortly, with a further three events expected to take place in its debut season.
PFL chief executive, Peter Murray, said: “Kicking off the PFL Champions Series in Cape Town alongside the launch of PFL Africa reflects our commitment to grow the sport of MMA throughout the continent as well as provide pathways for African fighters to compete on a global stage and become champions.
“With PFL Europe, PFL MENA and now PFL Africa launching, PFL’s international growth strategy and footprint is unmatched in the sport. This is all made possible by building a great team. I’m proud to partner with Francis Ngannou and Helios Sports & Entertainment Group and excited to welcome Elias Schulze as GM of PFL Africa.”
