PFL Africa 1: Bantamweight and Heavyweight Tournament Results From Cape Town

PFL made history on Saturday, July 19, with its first-ever event in Cape Town, South Africa.

Emanating from GrandWest Arena, the Professional Fighters League delivered another stacked main card, featuring the return of unbeaten British sensation Dakota Ditcheva, reigning middleweight champion Johnny Eblen, and former Bellator featherweight titleholder AJ McKee.

But before we get to the star-studded portion of their inaugural night in Africa, fight fans in Cape Town and those watching around the world will witness the opening round of the PFL Africa bantamweight and heavyweight tournaments.

1st Round Heavyweight Tournament Bout: Abraham Bably vs. Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze

Bably got the tournament bouts started with a bang at PFL Africa 1 on Saturday, scoring a sensational opening-round knockout against Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze with only one second left in the stanza. It was Bably’s third win under the PFL banner, snapping a two-fight losing skid and improving his overall record to 6-2.

Official Result: Abraham Bably def. Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze via KO (strikes) at 4:59 of Round 1.

1st Round Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Simbarashe Hokonya vs. Frans Mlambo

In the first bantamweight tournament bout of the night, Zimbabwe native Simbarashe Hokonya delivered a dominant performance over Frans Mlambo, moving his unbeaten record to 6-0 and punching his ticket to the semifinals of the 135-pound tourney.

Official Result: Simbarashe Hokonya def. Frans Mlambo via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

1st Round Heavyweight Tournament Bout: Abdoullah Kane vs. Joffie Houlton

Kane came out swinging heavy from the get-go and appeared to clip Houlton with a massive right hand that had Houlton curling up against the cage wall. Inexplicably, Kane rushed in and threw a blatantly illegal knee to Houlton’s head. That prompted an immediate pause as Houlton.

While Houlton was allowed time to recover, an instant replay revealed that Kane had poked Houlton in the eye before the illegal knee. As a result, the fight was called off just 40 seconds in, and Kane was disqualified. Houlton will now move on to face Abraham Bably in the heavyweight tournament semifinal later this year.

Official Result: Joffie Houlton def. Abdollah Kane via disqualification (illegal knee) at 0:40 of Round 1.

1st Round bantamweight tournament bout: Asiashu Tshitamba vs. Karim Henniene

In the second bantamweight quarterfinal bout, Canadian-Algerian standout Karim Henniene earned a split decision victory over hometown favorite Asiashu Tshitamba. One judge saw the fight in favor of Tshitamba, but the other two gave Henniene the win after 15 minutes of closely contested action.

Henniene will move on to face Simbarashe Hokonya in the semifinal round of the tournament.

Official Result: Karim Henniene def. Asiashu Tshitamba via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29).

1st round Heavyweight Tournament Bout: Jashell Ticha Awa vs. Justin Clarke

Awa came out and clipped Clarke early before ragdolling him around the Smart Cage. It appeared as though the Cameroonian was on his way to a decisive victory. However, Awa shocked everyone when he retired on his stool almost immediately after the conclusion of the opening round. Awa appeared to have suffered an injury to his eye, prompting the cageside physician to recommend he bow out of the bout.

That resulted in a first-round TKO victory for Clarke, who now moves into the semifinal round of the heavyweight tournament.

Official Result: Justin Clark def. Jashell Ticha Awa via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 1.

1st Round bantamweight tournament bout: Shannon van Tonder vs. Boule Godogo

The third bantamweight tournament quarterfinal bout delivered another razor-close split decision, with Godogo earning 10-8’s on two of the scorecards to walk away with a victory. Godogo moves to 4-0 in his mixed martial arts career and will face the winner of Nkosi Ndebele vs. Mahmoud Atef in the semifinals.

Official Result: Boule Godogo def. Shannon Van Tonder via split decision (29-27, 28-29, 29-27).

1st Round Heavyweight Tournament Bout: Maxwell Djantou Nana vs. Mickaël Groguhe

After wearing out Grouguhe in the opening round, Djantou Nana took complete control of their heavyweight tournament tilt, landing over 100 total strikes and controlling the Smart Cage en route to a decisive decision victory. Djantou Nana will move on and face Justin Clarke in the semifinals.

Official Result: Maxwell Djantou Nana def. Mickaël Groguhe via unanimous decision (no scorecard given).

1st Round Bantamweight tournament bout: Nkosi Ndebele vs. Mahmoud Atef

Nkosi Ndebele closed out the tournament action in Cape Town with a highlight-reel finish, pouring it on and scoring a TKO stoppage against Mahmoud Atef with just 10 seconds left in the opening round. Ndebele moves on to the bantamweight semifinals, where he will meet Boule Godogo.

Official Result: Nkosi Ndebele def. Mahmoud Atef via TKO (ground-and-pound) at 4:50 of Round 1.