The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is gearing up for the launch of its inaugural PFL Africa season with a buzzworthy open workout held recently at the Champions Academy RDC Gym in Kinshasa, Congo. The event showcased two rising stars set to headline the upcoming PFL Cape Town card: Nigeria’s Juliet Ukah and South Africa’s Ceileigh Niedermayr.
In front of an enthusiastic crowd of fans and media, Ukah and Niedermayr demonstrated their striking and grappling skills, offering a tantalizing preview of their upcoming women’s strawweight bout scheduled for Saturday, July 19th at the Grand Arena in Cape Town. This fight marks a historic moment as the first women’s bout in PFL Africa, spotlighting two of the continent’s strongest MMA nations.
“I’m very happy to be on the first PFL Africa card, and my fight with Ceileigh is going to be an exciting one,” said Ukah. “We want to help put African MMA in the global spotlight. Compared to her, I think I’m the more experienced fighter and the better striker. I expect to get the finish, but I don’t mind going to a third round if needed.”
Niedermayr, equally fired up, added, “It’s truly an honour to be part of the first-ever women’s fight in PFL Africa. I’m bringing a new level of Smiley Savagery to the SmartCage. I respect Juliet as a fighter, but I don’t think she’s ever faced anyone like me. I’m ready for an exciting, high-level battle.”
The PFL Cape Town event will also launch the 2025 PFL Africa tournament with first-round bouts in the heavyweight and bantamweight divisions. The night’s main card features five PFL Champions Series fights, climaxing with the middleweight world championship clash between undefeated titleholder Johnny “Pressure” Eblen and challenger Costello “The Spaniard” van Steenis.
Fans can secure tickets now via Ticketpro. The PFL Africa Tournament kicks off at 4:30 PM SAST, followed by the Champions Series at 8:30 PM SAST. A U.S. broadcast partner will be announced soon, promising global exposure for this landmark African MMA event.
