Professional Fighters League’s first trip to Africa on July 26 will also include a Champions Series portion that will be headlined by undefeated stars Johnny Eblen and Dakota Ditcheva, the company announced Wednesday.
Eblen, champion of the now-defunct Bellator and 16-0 in the sport, will defend his 185-pound belt against Costello van Steenis, while 2024 PFL flyweight champion takes on Sumiko Inaba in a non-title affair.
The PFL Africa section of the event will kick off the continental eight-man heavyweight and bantamweight tournaments.
Eblen (16-0) last defended his title in a rematch with Fabian Edwards, winning via unanimous decision. Van Steenis (16-3) enters the cage off of finishes over Gregory Babene and Joao Vitor Dantas in Bellator and PFL, respectively.
Ditcheva (14-0) claimed the PFL Europe tournament in 2023 with a trio of finishes that year and kept the momentum in 2024 with three dominant first-round stoppages and a championship beatdown over UFC veteran Taila Santos.
Inaba (8-1) fought her entire career under the Bellator banner and transitioned to PFL following the merger, finishing Mackenzie Stiller in her most recent appearance in September 2024.
Check the current lineups below.
PFL Africa
- Jashell Ticha Awa vs. Justin Clarke — heavyweight GP
- Nkosi Ndebele vs. Mahmoud Atef — bantamweight GP
- Abdoullah Kane vs. Mohammad Ben Yahia — heavyweight GP
- Simbarashe Hokonya vs. Abderrahman Errachidy — bantamweight GP
PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai
- Johnny Eblen vs. Costello van Steenis
- Dakota Ditcheva vs. Sumiko Inaba
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