Johnny Eblen, Dakota Ditcheva to compete in inaugural PFL Africa event in July
PFL's debut event in Africa will feature two of the promotion's biggest stars.
PFL Africa, led by chairman Francis Ngannou, officially is set to launch July 26 at GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, promotion officials announced Wednesday morning.
Headlining the event will be Bellator champion Johnny Eblen (16-0), who defends his middleweight title against Costello van Steenis (16-3). In the co-main event, 2024 PFL women's flyweight champion Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) meets Hawaii's Sumiko Inaba (8-1).
The fights featuring Eblen and Ditcheva are taking place under the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai branding, with three more expected to follow. It'll mark Eblen's first action since Oct. 19, 2024 when he defended his belt against Fabian Edwards. Ditcheva will compete for the first time since Nov. 29, 2024 when she defeated former UFC title challenger Taila Santos in the 2024 women's flyweight final.
The PFL Africa portion of the card marks the launch of the inaugural PFL Africa tournament, which features eight-man brackets in the heavyweight and bantamweight divisions. As of now, half of each field is set, with the PFL saying it will announce the remaining bouts soon.
The current PFL Africa card includes:
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