Star-studded EFC 123 card features international matchups
His very last defeat in that timeline was to current teammate and sparring partner Dricus du Plessis, but since then Lamprecht remained undefeated upon the path to the belt which he will defend for the very first time at the World Sports Betting Arena on May 8, in Paulshof.
But his preparations have now been marred by his opponent pulling out of the bout due to illness, handing the incredible opportunity of a title contender to one of central Brazil's best mixed-martial artists, Édson 'The Gladiator' Silva.
Also read: Bomber knocks out Anthony Morel for EFC Heavyweight gold
After turning pro relatively recently in 2021, Silva has notched up 10 high-level performances, winning several belts and competing six times in the highly-respected Jungle Fight, the home promotion of UFC stars such as Johnnie Walker, Renato Moicano and Erick Silva.
A jiu-jitsu specialist, training with Paulistenio Rocha in Rio Verde, and blessed with a mean right hand that has felled several opponents, Silva will feel right at home with the Jozi altitude, considering he lives in the highlands of the Goiás plateau in central Brazil.
He now slots straight into the main event for the third title fight of his career against the tactical powerhouse that is Lamprecht, who has yet to go the distance in his entire professional career.
Also read: EFC Contender Series season 2 concludes with thrilling fights and rising stars
With 12 bouts in total, the numeric lodestone event of EFC 123 is set to be one of the biggest events in African combat sports this year, with those three intercontinental title fights and that stacked card in its entirety below:
Main Card
LHW Title Bout – JC Lamprecht vs Édson Silva
Vacant WFLW Title – Bout Amanda Lino vs Mariana Salles
Vacant FLW Title Bout – Willie van Rooyen vs Kleberson Sousa
Flyweight Bout – Terence Balelo vs Marcio Oliveira
Welterweight Bout – Peace Nguphane vs Jaco du Plessis
Read more: EFC fighter's championship dreams put on hold after stunning loss to 'The Kid'
Preliminary Card
Bantamweight Bout – Moses Mokhari vs Gift Walker
Featherweight – Bout Mpho Hloka vs Francis Martin
Catchweight Bout – Zhane Tannous vs Mark Kamba
Lightweight Bout – Marcel Els vs Emmanuel Sita
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The Citizen
5 hours ago
- The Citizen
Dricus to take time off to ‘fix things', declines rematch with Chimaev
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The South African
9 hours ago
- The South African
How much did Dricus du Plessis earn despite defeat?
After first winning the UFC middleweight belt, Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his title on two occasions, but this past weekend that 'bubble' was well and truly burst by Russian Khamzat Chimaev. Du Plessis ultimatley had no answer to Chimaev's wrestling strengths, and there could be no doubts about the unanimous decision, although the bout itself was really terrible entertainment. Despite the result, multiple reliable reports have suggested Du Plessis will still walk away with around $3 million (nearly R53 million). However, had he won the fight, this amount would have increased by a further $500,000. Interestingly, Morne Visser – the longtime coach of Du Plessis- has made it crystal clear that there will be no immediate rematch with Chimaev. 'I've been asked, 'Do you want to do him a rematch?' I said, 'Absolutely not,'' he admitted. 'Obviously, we'd like to fight him very soon again, but there is no way I'll take the rematch with us being a little bit behind in our Russian style of wrestling. That is what it is, nothing else. He just knows how to control you on the floor. 'In the meantime, we've got to fix our sh*t asap, and I know what to do. I know exactly what to do and where to do it. It's a big change, we're going to have to do a big move to fix things,' Visser added. 'Instead of spending time preparing for going to another fight camp to prepare for RDR, I would rather spend that time to fix the problem that we've got, and then go into a camp. So, I won't just take a fight because fights are available. I want to fix this problem, because we're going to face Khamzat [again] and I want to destroy him this time.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
11 hours ago
- The Citizen
OPINION: Chimaev's fighting style is effective, but it's not very entertaining
You can't help but wonder whether the new champion will be good for the sport. Yes, he may the best middleweight mixed martial arts fighter in the world, and yes, he is now the champion, but just how good is this result for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)? Undefeated Russian, Khamzat Chimaev, put on a wrestling masterclass when he completely dominated South Africa's middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC319 in Chicago on Sunday. As a fan of the sport, I am slightly worried about what impact this is going to have on a division synonymous with spectacular knockouts and bone-breaking submissions. Yes, what Chimaev did on Sunday was effective, but as far as entertainment value goes, fans aren't going to be queueing to watch two high-profile athletes lie on the ground for 25 minutes to determine who is the best in the world. According to online sources, the cheapest ticket to watch that fight at the United Centre was $700 (over R12,000) and the most expensive was over $11,000 (over R193,000). Even the pay-per-view tickets to watch the fight at home would have set you back $60 (over R1,000). Now I would be extremely annoyed if I coughed up that sort of money to watch what unfolded on Sunday. Fans must get what they pay for Yes, there were other fights on the cards and, yes, they were a lot better than the main event, but the reality is it is the main event that sells the tickets. The previous champions – Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, Robert Whitaker and Du Plessis – made sure the fans got what they paid for, putting up exciting displays of mixed martial arts, even when the fights went the distance. Chimaev – who has a reported 10 million followers on Instagram – is an extremely popular figure, but even he was booed by the sold-out crowd in Chicago on Sunday. The middleweight division is extremely stacked with plenty of exciting talent coming through the ranks – Du Plessis being on that list, and he's sure to be back contending again – but the question now must be, can anyone stop this Russian? At the end of the day, it is the fans who make or break sport, and if they aren't happy, then you have a problem.
