- George Chung
- Jun 4
- 3 min read
AJ ‘Mercenary’ McKee Battles Russia’s Akhmed Magomedov at Featherweight
Light Heavyweight Champion Corey Anderson Moves Up to Face 2024 PFL Heavyweight Champion Denis Goltsov
Lightweights Clash as Russia’s Artur Zaynukov Meets Japan’s Takeshi Izumi
Tickets On Sale Now via Ticketpro here
The Professional Fighters League has finalized the lineup for the upcoming PFL Cape Town event, marking the debut of MMA in Africa with the continent’s first-ever global MMA event. Set for Saturday, July 19 at Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town, South Africa, this landmark event marks a groundbreaking moment in PFL’s global expansion.
The event will feature the launch of the 2025 PFL Africa Tournament with First Round matchups in the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions, each featuring an eight-man bracket. In addition to the tournament bouts, the evening will be headlined by five high-stakes PFL Champions Series fights featuring elite global talent.
Tickets for this landmark event are on sale now via Ticketpro.
At 145-pounds, former Bellator Featherweight World Champion AJ “Mercenary” McKee (22-2) returns to the SmartCage against Akhmed Magomedov (11-1), a rising Russian star and protégé of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Also confirmed is a Heavyweight Showcase featuring current Light Heavyweight World Champion Corey Anderson (18-6) moving up a division to face 2024 PFL Heavyweight Champion Denis Goltsov (36-8).
Artur Zaynukov (16-4) returns to the PFL following an impressive showing at Battle of the Giants, aiming to extend his win streak to six. He will meet RIZIN veteran Takeshi Izumi (6-3) of Japan, a decorated wrestler who earned a unanimous decision win over Spike Carlyle in his most recent outing.
These marquee matchups round out an already stacked PFL Champions Series card, showcasing some of the world’s top MMA talent on African soil. Headlining the evening is undefeated Middleweight World Champion Johnny “Pressure” Eblen (16-0), who puts his perfect record and title on the line against Spain’s surging contender Costello “The Spaniard” van Steenis (16-3).
In the co-main event, Women’s Flyweight phenom “Dangerous” Dakota Ditcheva (14-0), widely considered one of the top pound-for-pound female fighters in MMA, faces Hawaii’s elite striker Sumiko “Lady Samurai” Inaba (8-1) in a thrilling penultimate bout.
The PFL Cape Town event begins at 4:30 PM SAST / 10:30 AM EST with the PFL Africa portion of the card, followed by PFL Champions Series, which begins at 8:30 PM SAST / 2:30 PM EST. A U.S. broadcast partner will be announced shortly.
Complete PFL Champions Series Card:
Saturday, July 19 - 8:30 PM SAST / 2:30 PM EST
Middleweight World Championship Main Event: Johnny Eblen (16-0) vs. Costello van Steenis (16-3)
Women’s Flyweight Co-Main Event: Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) vs. Sumiko Inaba (8-1)
Featherweight Showcase Bout: AJ McKee (22-2) vs. Akhmed Magomedov (11-1)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Artur Zaynukov (16-4) vs. Takeshi Izumi (6-3)
Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Corey Anderson (18-6) vs. Denis Goltsov (36-8)
Complete PFL Africa Card:
SuperSport (Africa - English) | Canal+ (Africa - French)DAZN (France, UK & Ireland)
Saturday, July 19 - 4:30 PM SAST / 10:30 AM EST
Bantamweight First Round Bout: Nkosi Ndebele (8-3) vs. Mahmoud Atef (5-2)
Heavyweight First Round Bout: Maxwell Djantou Nana (6-1) vs. Mikael Groguhe (6-2)
Bantamweight First Round Bout: Shannon Van Tonder (7-2) vs. Boule Godogo (3-0)
Heavyweight First Round Bout: Jashell Ticha Awa (3-1) vs. Justin Clarke (2-0)
Bantamweight First Round Bout: Antero Dos Santos (5-0) vs. Karim Henniene (4-0)
Heavyweight First Round Bout: Abdoullah Kane (3-0) vs. Mohammed Ben Yahia (9-4)
Bantamweight First Round Bout: Simbarashe Hokonya (5-0) vs. Alain Majorique (5-0)
Heavyweight First Round Bout: Abraham Bably (5-2) vs. Badredinne Medkouri (7-2)
Showcase Women’s Strawweight Bout: Juliet Ukah (6-0) vs. Ceileigh Niedermayr (3-2)
