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- Sport
- IOL News
Electric night in Johannesburg as PFL Africa delivers explosive Featherweight and Welterweight action
Abdoul Razac Sankara (7-3) def. Shadrack Yemba (4-1) via KO (head kick) at 2:01 of round one. Photo: PFLAfrica Image: PFLAfrica The African MMA market continues to pass the litmus test from the Professional Fighters League's perspective following yet another successful PFL Africa event. Last night, Carnival City lived up to its name as it delivered a night of enthralling moments, entertainment, and spectacle as PFL Africa's Feather and Welterweights threw down inside the Smart Cage in pursuit of PFL Africa Gold. As one of the largest MMA brands in the world, the PFL this year confirmed its move to create a new franchise within Africa, all part of their global expansion plan. It was a great win for Africa, as the continent is booming with combat sport talent, and the MMA ecosystem needs a high-level international promotion that can assist brands like the EFC and AKO and empower the thousands of stars coming through the system. PFL Africa rolled out its first show in Cape Town in July, focusing on the Bantamweights and Heavyweights, all of which are part of the 2025 Tournament that will conclude at the end of the year in Benin. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Next Stay Close ✕ The show was a massive success, however, it was not a real indicator just yet for the PFL business and bean counters as they had a secret weapon for that event in the form of the Champions Series: Road to Dubai, that had seen some of the world's most popular stars including AJ McKee, Corey Anderson, Dakota Ditcheva, Johnny Eblen and Costello Van Steenis compete on the main card. It was a PFL Africa card on steroids, as these are world-renowned names. Even the great Khabib Nurmagomedov was in the house as he formed part of Akhmed Magomedov and Artur Zaynukov's coaching team. But last night, in the Big Top Arena in Brakpan, Johannesburg, the PFL founder Donn Davis was assured that there is a hunger and huge market in Mzansi and Africa and that the PFL has invested in the right place as thousands of MMA hungry fans danced, shouted, cheered, cried, laughed, clapped and celebrated a card only for African fighters who proved that they're all carrying major star power and are set for global success. It was a big night for African MMA! Countless celebrities, sports stars, and key figures within South Africa were inside the Big Top Arena as musical star Daliwonga set the tone and got the crowd, including Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, moving to the AfroNation beat. Shido Boris Esperanca (10-1) set the tone and got the fans on their feet with his dance moves before stopping his opponent Ibrahima Mané (13-6) with a quick submission in round one of their Welterweight fight. Photo: PFLAfrica Image: PFLAfrica PFL Africa's Johannesburg card delivered an electric ten fights and left little work to the judges as fans got to witness seven finishes and only three decisions. In total, eight African Feather and Welterweight stars punched their tickets to the PFL Africa 2025 semi-finals. In the main event, Patrick Ocheme (7-1) capped off the night with a strong performance, defeating Mohamed Camara (5-3-1) by unanimous decision to clinch his spot in the PFL Africa Featherweight Semifinals. Ocheme overcame a slow start in the first round and turned the tide in the second after dropping Camara with a big shot. He remained in control in the final round to secure the victory and a place in the Featherweight final four. In the co-main event, Shido Boris Esperanca (10-1) needed just 34 seconds to submit Ibrahima Mané (13-6) and secure his place in the PFL Africa Welterweight Semifinals. At the opening bell, Esperanca blitzed Mané, immediately took his back, locked in the choke, and forced the tap in seconds. Also in the Welterweight Division, Octave Ayinda (6-0) made quick work of British Boloyoang (3-2), winning by TKO and advancing to the PFL Africa Welterweight Semifinals. Ayinda escaped an early guillotine choke attempt from Boloyoang and managed to wind up on top. From there, he punished Boloyoang with heavy shots, forcing the referee to stop the bout at the 1:55 mark of the first round. Yabna N'tchala (12-2-1) turned in an impressive all-around performance, outstriking and outgrappling Sanon Sadeck (7-3) over three rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory and a place in the PFL Africa Welterweight Semifinals. N'tchala picked his shots and set up his takedowns effectively to cruise past Sadeck and claim the important win. Moving forward in the Featherweight division, Patrick Ocheme will face Abdoul Razac Sankara, while Wasi Adeshina meets Dwight Joseph. Meanwhile, in the Welterweight Division, Shido Boris Esperanca will take on Octave Ayinda, and Yabna N'tchala will go up against Emilios Dassi. PFL Africa First Round: Johannesburg Results Patrick Ocheme (7-1) def. Mohamed Camara (5-3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) Shido Boris Esperanca (10-1) def. Ibrahima Mané (13-6) by submission (rear naked choke) at 0:34 of round one Octave Ayinda (6-0) def. British Boloyoang (3-2) by TKO () at 1:55 of round one Yabna N'tchala (12-2-1) def. Sanon Sadeck (7-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2) Emilios Dassi (5-1) def. Osvaldo Benedito (3-2) by KO (punches) at 2:12 of round one Wasi Adeshina (8-3) def. Jean Jacques Lubaya (9-2) via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:14 of round two Dwight Joseph (15-2) def. Wilker Nsamo (7-1) via KO (knee) at 4:57 of round two Abderahman Errachidy (5-1) def. Elbert Steyn (3-1) via TKO (knee) at 0:14 of round two Abdoul Razac Sankara (7-3) def. Shadrack Yemba (4-1) via KO (head kick) at 2:01 of round one Kunle Lawal (3-1) def. Desmond Tamungang (5-1) via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) IOL Sport
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Highlights: Wyndham Championship, Round 3
Relive the best highlights from the third round of the 2025 Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NCAA softball tournament winners, losers, snubs from 2025 selection show
The NCAA selection committee has spoken, and the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament field is set. Sixty-four teams will begin their road to a potential appearance in the Women's College World Series at the end of May and beginning of June in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The teams included in the field are the 31 automatic qualifiers for conference champions and 33 at-large teams. REQUIRED READING: NCAA softball tournament format: How bracket works in 2025 Starting on May 16, these teams will play in 16 regionals across the country, hosted by the 16 national seeds. The winner of each region will advance to play in a best-of-three super regional round, with the eight remaining teams advancing to Oklahoma City for the WCWS. The last two teams standing will play in a best-of-three series to determine the national champion. However, just like every year, there will be a handful of teams shaking their heads following the NCAA softball selection show. Some teams will feel they should have been a regional host, while some will feel they were poorly ranked and got a bad shake of which regional they have to travel for. Of course, several teams felt like they were unfairly left out of the tournament. Here's a look at the winners, losers and snubs from the 2025 NCAA women's college softball field: The SEC had an NCAA Tournament record-14 teams, including seven of the top eight national seeds and nine of the top 15, capping off a great season. That means if chalk holds through the regional round, only one non-SEC team will host a super regional: No. 5 seed Florida State. The Aggies are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA softball tournament for the first time in program history. The Aggies edged out the four-time defending champion Oklahoma due to their No. 1 ranking in the RPI at the end of the season. Texas A&M did not have a chance to defeat the Sooners in the SEC softball tournament championship game, but could face the Sooners in Oklahoma City. Belmont, Mercer, North Florida, Saint Louis and Santa Clara are first-timers reaching the NCAA softball tournament this season. The Bruins defeated Southern Illinois in the MVC Championship game to earn their first-ever berth, while Mercer was crowned the Southern Conference champions. The Ospreys earned their first ASUN Tournament title in program history, while the Billikens secured the 2025 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship title with a walk-off win. The Broncos earned their first West Coast Conference championship to automatically qualify. Seeding matters when it comes to the NCAA softball tournament, and a single seed line can make a huge difference. The Gamecocks edged out No. 9 UCLA for the final top-eight seed. That means they'll be set to host the Bruins at home in the super regional, if both teams advance. REQUIRED READING: NCAA softball bracket: Matchups, top seeds, regional sites for 2025 NCAA Tournament The Bruins ended the season with an RPI of No. 4 and were the runners-up to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament. However, none of that was enough for UCLA to clinch the last top-eight seed to earn a hosting bid. Instead, if the No. 9 seed Bruins advance to the super regional, they'll have to travel to Columbia to take on South Carolina on the road. The Hokies had an impressive season but fell apart during the sixth inning of the ACC tournament championship game against eventual champion Clemson. For its trouble, Virginia Tech has to travel to No. 15 seed Alabama in the Tuscaloosa Regional, where the Hokies and Crimson Tide split two games during the Easton Bama Bash in February. The Ducks won the regular season Big Ten championship in their first year in the conference. They also took two out of three games against UCLA during the regular season, but are ranked as the last nationally seeded team at No. 16. The Ducks also had wins over No. 5 seed Florida State (2-0) and No. 7 seed Tennessee (1-0) in nonconference play. REQUIRED READING: When does 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament start? Regional schedules, venues The Wolf Pack posted a 41-14 record playing against a top-70 strength of schedule. It also finished with an RPI of 36 but, after losing in the Mountain West Tournament, was excluded from the tournament. It's hard to say the No. 2 overall seed was snubbed in any way — but as the four-time defending champs, the Sooners had a real argument as the No. 1 seed after winning the regular season SEC championship in the toughest conference in the country. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA softball tournament bracket winners, losers and snubs
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Valley native makes third straight cut at Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WKBN) – Warren native Gianna Clemente made the cut for a third consecutive year at the Augusta National Women's Amateur on Thursday. The 17-year-old shot an even par 72 in Round 2 to keep her at 2-under overall and tied for 17th. Previously, Clemente finished T5 last year at Augusta and T14 during her first appearance in 2023. So far in 2025, she has three top-seven finishes after being named the 2024 AJGA Girls Player of the Year in November. The 2025 Tournament continues on Saturday, April 5 after a closed practice on Friday for the 32 golfers that advanced to the Final Round. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
