PFL Launches In Africa With Championship League, Features Top African Fighters

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has launched in Africa for the first time with a championship league coming up in 2025 which will feature top African fighters including MMA Superstar, Francis Ngannou who will serve as the chairman, Nigerian-born Kunle Lawal, Shido Boris, Maxwell Djnatou Nana, Nigeria’s Julie Ukah, and several others.

PFL Africa will introduce an engaging sport-season format with a Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship featuring top African fighters with all events, for the first time hosted in Africa. .

At the groundbreaking event to commemorate the launch which took place recently in Lagos, Peter Murray, the CEO of PFL, disclosed that PFL has recognized Africa as home to some greatest fighters in the world and that one of the reasons for its launch in the continent is to develop fighters and provide a platform where they can reach their goals.

“Africa is home to some of the greatest fighters in the world, including our league Chairman Francis Ngannou, and some of the greatest fans in the sport. PFL Africa aims to serve the great fans with premium content while strengthening the PFL global footprint in what has for too long been an underserved market. Alongside our great investment and broadcast partners we cannot wait to kick off PFL Africa league action in 2025.”

Speaking about the launch of PFL in Africa, Senegalese fighter, Sadibou Sy expressed gratitude to the organization while noting that he has always struggled to answer questions from his supporters in Senegal on how to start a career in MMA.

‘’After winning the world championship in 2022, it was very important for me to go back to Senegal and meet with the people, inspire them, touch down on them so they can see that it is something reachable. A lot of people asked me about how they can follow my footstep and I was struggling to give them the straight answer but I am proud to say today we have PFL Africa where they will have the opportunity to fight, earn their way through.’’

Nigerian-born Kunle Lawal, a pro-MMA fighter based in Scotland noted that one of the reasons he left his country at a tender age was because his goals were unrealistic here but with PFL Africa, many people would not have to go through his hurdles to achieve their goals.

‘’ First of all, I left Nigeria to move to Scotland because there was no much opportunity for me then but PFL coming into Nigeria is going to give a lot of kids opportunity that they can make it in future and I feel when PFL comes to Nigeria, it’s going to raise a lot of stars. It’s a dream come through for me, I left my country and never had the opportunity to achieve my goals but for PFL, it’s surreal for me and I am grateful to them for giving this kind of opportunity.’’

Furthermore, Julie Ukah, a female MMA fighter who will be representing Nigeria showed gratitude to PFL Africa for realizing the dreams of many people.

‘’I feel so proud to be the first female representing Nigeria. I would say I am the first local fighter, training in Nigeria, living in Nigeria and fighting outside Nigeria, I am very proud and it’s going to be a very good thing to us. If PFL can come to Africa and Nigeria as the first, I am very happy. It has been part of my dream to have a gym here in Nigeria and to groom young girls to have confidence in themselves, I am happy PFL is coming down here, it’s a good dream to achieve together.’’