In less than four days, fierce rivals Musa ‘Bad News’ Sethwape and Shannon ‘Terror’ van Tonder will meet inside the Hexagon and fight to the bitter end to decide who can call themselves the best 135lb mixed martial artist on the African continent.
Johannesburg South Africa, Monday 9 October 2023: Having previously met at the fabled EFC 100 event last December when the BIA bruiser Sethwape bested the Boksburg-based Van Tonder over three thrilling rounds, the two foes now rematch with the additional massive incentive of the interim bantamweight belt now on the line! With current champ Nkazimulo Zulu eying the flyweight gold, the undisputed belt remains in stasis in the heaving CIT trophy cabinet, allowing Sethwape and Van Tonder a unique opportunity to contest a title that continues to provide some of the most awe-inspiring matchups in current promotional history, from Saaiman to Hwende to Zulu and now a new incumbent, who must knuckle-up to buckle-up. And despite Sethwape taking the win in their first meeting, it’s Van Tonder who is the World Sports Betting favourite to take the gold.
The penultimate bout is a classic veteran/greenhorn clash as the imposing phenom from Gqeberha, Shadrack ‘Blambee’ Nsua faces the 11-year campaigner Stefan ‘Mr Kicks’ Pretorius. Despite his prowess as a kickboxer, as his fighting moniker suggests, Pretorius has proven what a superb submission grappler he also is, with a succession of brilliant victories on the ground. But his opponent exploded onto the fight scene with two jaw-dropping performances upon his first two professional outings in the Hex, with two first round finishes with the fists over veterans Francois Cundari and Mark Kamba. This matchup is a surefire ‘fight of the night’ with WSB picking Nsua’s power over Pretorious’s technical experience.
It’s been a busy year for Ayanda ‘The Power’ Zwane as he makes his fourth walk to the Hexagon in 2023 in a hunt for his third victory following a sublime TKO just last month over Elvis Ngwalangwala. Now training under renowned grappling master, Attila Barna, Zwane now continues his rise up the rankings in a must-win scrap against the agile striking and sneaky submissions of Claremont-based Emmanual Sita. With all of his wins being first-round finishes, ‘The Humble Warrior’ is desperate to return to winning ways after coming off the wrong end of a thrilling firefight against Billy Oosthuizen at EFC 106. This is another must-win bout for two warriors at different stages of their careers but is a stylistic matchup tailor-made to thrill the fans.
Fresh off a jaw-dropping first-round finish over EFC legend Pietie Coxen, the undefeated Jeremie ‘Warrior of God’ Tshibala re-enters the Performance Institute to take-on the imposing 10-fight vet, Khulekani Hlongwa in another cracking main-card war. The Mustang Athletic middleweight from Maritzburg is fresh off his own dramatic finish of Roy Lokolo and has a proven ability to put his opponents away in all areas of the Hex, but Tshibala is ever-content to trade in the pocket and test his chin in a fan-friendly style with a forward-footed pressure gameplan. Whether that will work against the highly-experienced Cold Steel is what makes this a don’t-blink bout.
The opening main card bout of EFC 108 will witness Bushido MMA’s debutante Andile ‘The Equaliser’ Gasa finally making his EFC bow. This follows a sterling amateur career and a variety of mixed-code professional bouts which showcased his elite striking and elusive footwork that has caused a mountain of problems for all of his opponents culminating in a plethora of first-round KO’s. Welcoming him to the big show is Lusaka’s Ken ‘The Takeover’ Sekeletu, a three-time GFC champion and a silver medalist at last year’s African Amateur Championships. Now this decorated karateka who debuted professional earlier this year with an emphatic first-round TKO over Warren Richards, faces another challenge from the East Coast in Gasa.
With seven preliminary bouts, this is EFC’s biggest card in 2023, guaranteeing non-stop action that will leave fans watching live around the world breathless, before the main event title fight proves yet again, that the greatest combat sports league in Africa is only getting started!
EFC 108 Sethwape vs van Tonder for the interim bantamweight championship presented by World Sports Betting takes place on Thursday 12 October live from The EFC Performance Institute in JHB, South Africa. Ticket and broadcast info at EFCworldwide.com
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