EFC no Longer the Big Dog in African MMA

The recent signing of the DRC’s Josias Musasa (8-0) to the UFC following his #DWCS Season 8 split decision win, should be a concern for the the long-time leading African MMA organisation – the EFC!

There are a number of reasons for this statement, so let’s dive right in;

New Kid on the Block

The signing of Musasa showed that the EFC is no longer the pre-emminent path to the preverbial ‘holy-grail’, as Musasa is/was a roster athlete for the recently established African Knockout Championship (AKO). The brain-child of current UFC roster athlete and future UFC hall-of-famer, Kamaru Usman, AKO held it’s first event back in May 2023 and has to-date, put together five events, showcasing African fighters from predominantly, the central, western and northern regions of Africa.

What this means is that talent no longer needs to travel to the southern tip of the continent to get top-level exposure. It also means that top sub-saharan talent no longer needs to travel to the Middle East in order to stay active, while earning in US dollars.

Added to that is the fact that the promotion is led by the former UFC welterweight champ, which will definitely do no harm to any standout athletes that choose to make AKO their promotional home. The crystal ball question here is – unlike the many that have tried and failed – will AKO see it to it’s 20^th, 50^th or even 100^th event? The EFC recently held its 119^th event (117 numbered events and 2 x Fight Night events) and appears to be forging ahead towards EFC 150!

Current Roster

The current EFC roster is thinning out fast, with many notable OG retirements during the past 12 months – most recently JP Kruger and Pietie Coxen. A cursory glance at the EFC’s website tells the story of a promotion still living in the past with it’s outdated list of active roster athletes.

Recent fight cards have also only been announced (read into that “finalised’) days before the actual event dates as is evident by the numerous last-minute replacements – EFC 117 is a standout example, with at least three late fight replacements (30% of the entire card)! Is this symptomatic of a diminishing fighter roster or have the EFC become that arrogant that they feel that they no longer need to “sell” their events to fans?

The EFC’s ongoing reliance on ageing fighters – again EFC 117 is an example, with the likes of Kuikstra and Coxen – begs a number of serious questions. These include; 

• Is the sport of MMA actually growing in South Africa? A recent interview with a prominent National coach would suggest otherwise!
• Are the next generation of young athletes being attracted away from the sport by ‘easier’ opportunities?
• Is it worthwhile putting one’s life at risk in order to earn mediocre Rand-based fight purses at the EFC?
• How much longer will the fans tolerate mediocre fight cards from the EFC?
• Does the EFC have athletes with enough star-power to promote and carry fight cards?

The Emergence of New Promotions

Africa has had it’s share of potential competitors. Some have come from other regions and failed dismally – Brave CF being the most prominent. Others have been born from African soil and not quite achieved the heights imagined – LFNE and AFC are the most obvious. While others are still too new and would need to be given time – Nightmare FC and Impact Championship. Add to that the recent launch of the professional roster at Versus MMA (held this past weekend) and news of a possible new South African professional MMA fight promotion – watch this space for more details. Will these initiatives survive and do what the likes of FightStars and Omega could not?

We must also not forget about the imminent arrival of PFL Africa as well as the UFC – which is reportedly in discussions with the City of Cape Town. What impact will these global heavyweights have on the current promotions as fighters will no-doubt be clamouring for these global contracts.

At the end of the day, it augers well for the growing contigent of African fighters who have witnessed the successes of Usman, Adesanya, Ngannou, Kasanganay and most recently Du Plessis on the global stage. The next generation of fighters have some solid role models to look up to and emulate and they now seem to have more than just one reputable continental promotion to choose from!