Professional Fighters League, the international mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, has announced the launch of its third regional league, covering the sub-Saharan Africa market, with an inaugural event in Cape Town, South Africa.
PFL Africa will launch on July 26 with PFL Cape Town, an event which will be headlined by five bouts from the promotion’s elite PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai competition, which is focused on bringing PFL to new markets.
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The 5,000-seater GrandWest Arena, owned by international casino group Sun International, will host the event, which will also feature several fighters based across the continent
This first PFL Africa event will pre-empt a season-long series across the second part of 2025, with host events across the continent, with pay-TV giant Canal Plus serving as French-language broadcast rightsholder internationally, while Supersport, another major pay-TV operator, will cover the non-French-speaking markets.
PFL Africa was first announced in July 2024 in collaboration with high-profile Cameroonian MMA heavyweight Francis Ngannou, who will serve as chair and minority owner, and Africa-focused private equity investment fund Helios Sports & Entertainment, which is a stakeholder of the venture.
In a statement, Helios said: “This initiative aligns with Helios’ mission to back high-growth, high-impact ventures across the continent.
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By GlobalData“With the leadership of Francis Ngannou and a strong local foundation, PFL Africa has the potential to become a transformative platform for African athletes, fans, and the broader sports ecosystem.”
Earlier in May, PFL co-founder Donn Davis spoke to Sportcal (GlobalData Sport), and commented on the promotion’s need to capitalize on underserved markets like those in Africa, stating: “[Underserved markets] certainly drive the whole economic engine, because of the 650 million fans of MMA, 550 million are not in the US.
“UFC goes [to different markets] once every two years and leaves, so think of 550 million fans who don't get to attend, don't get to watch in prime time, and don't have their local fighters. When you're serving 550 million fans who haven’t been well served, money's going to follow.
“MMA is global. When you look at the PFL or UFC’s revenue, it's 50:50 domestic and global. So that's a big differentiator for most sports, which very heavily rely on one region.”
