Latest news with #AfricanKnockout
IOL News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
African MMA brand AKO signs a broadcasting deal with SuperSport
AKO started as an MMA talent reality TV Show called "African Knockout", becoming the first non-scripted sports reality show on Netflix in the process. African MMA fans will now have greater access to mixed martial arts content, following a landmark deal between leading sports broadcaster SuperSport and the fast-growing Nigerian-based promotion, the African KnockOut Championship (AKO). SuperSport will become the exclusive linear broadcaster for AKO across Sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to expand the promotion's reach and elevate Pan-African MMA within its diverse sports portfolio. Mixed martial arts has experienced significant growth over recent years, captivating millions of fans — especially younger, digitally connected audiences. The sport's popularity has surged across Africa, fuelled by the success of continental UFC champions such as Nigeria's Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya, Cameroon's Francis Ngannou, and South Africa's Dricus du Plessis. Major MMA hubs like South Africa, Nigeria, and Angola continue to grow, while interest spreads rapidly in countries including Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt. According to the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), 24 African national federations actively govern and organise both professional and amateur MMA events across the continent. On the professional front, the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) has long been the flagship MMA promotion showcasing elite African talent alongside international stars. SuperSport already offers coverage of EFC, UFC, and the Professional Fighters League (PFL), with AKO set to become the latest premium addition following its broadcast partnership. AKO President and Co-founder Kamaru Usman — Africa's first-ever UFC champion — emphasised the partnership's transformative potential: 'This isn't just about building a platform; it's about unlocking the full potential of African MMA. "We want to inspire a new generation of champions and create a homegrown ecosystem that can rival the best in the world. There is no better partner than SuperSport, whose reach, reputation, and connection to African audiences perfectly align with our vision.'
Kuwait Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
MMA draws thousands in Nigeria as fight sport gains ground
LAGOS: The arena was packed on Friday night in the upscale Lekki neighbourhood of Nigeria's bustling commercial capital, Lagos. Eighteen fighters from eight African countries were slugging it out before thousands of cheering mixed martial arts (MMA) fans. It was the ninth instalment of the African Knockout Championship, an MMA fight league that started off in 2020 as a reality television show in Lagos as the COVID-19 lockdown waned in Nigeria. The formal championship started in May 2023 and has since hosted fighters from 18 countries, the chief operating officer of African Knockout, Ryan Fayad, told AFP. While football remains king in the west African country, combat sports such as boxing and wrestling have enjoyed moderate success and produced continental and world champions in the past. Traditional 'Dambe' boxing has held audiences spellbound for years, especially in the northern region of the country. But the exploits of Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman, former UFC middleweight and welterweight champions, respectively, are spurring interest in organized mixed martial arts in the African economic powerhouse. African Knockout is 'driven by the fact that Africa doesn't have any platform totally oriented for African talent to showcase themselves to the world and progress to reach those international stages,' Fayad, a Lebanese who has lived in Nigeria for 13 years, told AFP. 'The drive behind all this... is to find the next Kamaru Usman and the next Israel Adesanya and promote them all the way to the international stages.' Fayad said Usman is 'totally hands-on' with the championship: apart from speaking publicly about the championship in the past, the former UFC champion has also promoted it on social media. About five thousand fans watched the last edition held in April in person, and several thousands more streamed the fights online. 'Not about money' 'It's not about money,' said Jibrin Inuwa Baba, 28, a four-time national kickboxing gold medallist, who is scheduled to fight the winner of Friday's main event later in August. The main card of the night is the lightweight faceoff between Jean Do Santos from neighbouring Benin and homeboy Emmanuel Nworie. 'I decided to do this sport because of the love of the sport and love of competition,' Baba told AFP. He said that while MMA is growing 'fast in Nigeria,' there is still plenty of work to be done. Eighteen fighters — two of them female — are in the octagon on Friday night. Roughly half of them are Nigerians with fighters from Egypt, Angola, Togo, Burkina Faso and Cameroon also on the card. Cameroon's Styve Essono, who defeated Nigeria's Damilare Abdulrahim, said his victory 'will open up a lot of opportunities for me'. Eighteen-year-old Nigerian Fabian Texas shrugged aside being ill to knock out Egypt's Mahmud Ibrahim in the second-round. 'We are still coming up, and I feel that we are not there yet,' Baba, who holds a degree in civil engineering, told AFP at the weigh-in for the fighters on Thursday. Still, the championship has seen a measure of success since it began, with one of its fighters — DR Congo's Josias Musasa — making his UFC debut in March. Good fights The crowd roared as kicks and punches flew. A valiant performance by Angola's Andre Mukisi, who fought on to victory against Togo's Fred Kudzete, despite being tired, drew one of the biggest rounds of applause. 'The crowd is here for the good fights and not really about home support for Nigerian fighters,' Lois Ogunniyi, a 30-year-old media executive who runs Fist2Fist, a small online community of MMA fans, told AFP. Despite the growing interest and optimism that the championship will eventually be exported to other African countries, Fayad said the lack of infrastructure and the absence of institutional support are impeding the growth of the sport in Nigeria. He said getting visas for foreign fighters was always cumbersome, some officials are flown in, and for now, the championship relies on rented spaces to stage fights. 'We are hoping that the government will also help us have access to proper infrastructure,' Fayad said. 'If we had proper infrastructure, people would go to stadiums to watch. So that's what we are looking for, so it can make our operation easier.' — AFP
Straits Times
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
MMA draws thousands in Nigeria as fight sport gains ground
Nigerian professional MMA fighter Daniel Iwuoha fights against Burkina Fasos Abdul Razac Sankara during their lightweight title bout at the Pistis Conference Centre in Lagos on June 13. PHOTO: AFP LAGOS – The arena was packed on Friday night in the upscale Lekki neighbourhood of Nigeria's bustling commercial capital, Lagos. Eighteen fighters from eight African countries were slugging it out before thousands of cheering mixed martial arts (MMA) fans. It was the ninth instalment of the African Knockout Championship, an MMA fight league that started off in 2020 as a reality television show in Lagos as the Covid-19 lockdown waned in Nigeria. The formal championship started in May 2023 and has since hosted fighters from 18 countries, the chief operating officer of African Knockout, Ryan Fayad, told AFP. While football remains king in the west African country, combat sports such as boxing and wrestling have enjoyed moderate success and produced continental and world champions in the past. The exploits of Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman, former UFC middleweight and welterweight champions, respectively, are spurring interest in organised mixed martial arts in the African economic powerhouse. African Knockout is 'driven by the fact that Africa doesn't have any platform totally oriented for African talent to showcase themselves to the world and progress to reach those international stages', Fayad, a Lebanese who has lived in Nigeria for 13 years, told AFP. 'The drive behind all this... is to find the next Kamaru Usman and the next Israel Adesanya and promote them all the way to the international stages,' he said. Fayad said Usman is 'totally hands-on' with the championship – apart from speaking publicly about the championship in the past, the former UFC champion has also promoted it on social media. About five thousand fans watched the last edition held in April in person, and several thousands more streamed the fights online. 'It's not about money,' said Jibrin Inuwa Baba, 28, a four-time national kickboxing gold medallist, who is scheduled to fight the winner of Friday's main event later in August. The main card of the night is the lightweight faceoff between Jean Do Santos from neighbouring Benin and homeboy Emmanuel Nworie. 'I decided to do this sport because of the love of the sport and love of competition,' Baba told AFP. He said that while MMA is growing 'fast in Nigeria,' there is still plenty of work to be done. Eighteen fighters – two of them female – are in the octagon on Friday night. Roughly half of them are Nigerians with fighters from Egypt, Angola, Togo, Burkina Faso and Cameroon also on the card. Cameroon's Styve Essono, who defeated Nigeria's Damilare Abdulrahim, said his victory 'will open up a lot of opportunities for me'. Eighteen-year-old Nigerian Fabian Texas shrugged aside being ill to knock out Egypt's Mahmud Ibrahim in the second-round. 'We are still coming up, and I feel that we are not there yet,' Baba, who holds a degree in civil engineering, told AFP at the weigh-in for the fighters on Thursday. Still, the championship has seen a measure of success since it began, with one of its fighters – DR Congo's Josias Musasa–making his UFC debut in March. The crowd roared as kicks and punches flew. A valiant performance by Angola's Andre Mukisi, who fought on to victory against Togo's Fred Kudzete, despite being tired, drew one of the biggest rounds of applause. 'The crowd is here for the good fights and not really about home support for Nigerian fighters,' Lois Ogunniyi, a 30-year-old media executive who runs Fist2Fist, a small online community of MMA fans, told AFP. Despite the growing interest and optimism that the championship will eventually be exported to other African countries, Fayad said the lack of infrastructure and the absence of institutional support are impeding the growth of the sport in Nigeria. He said getting visas for foreign fighters was always cumbersome, some officials are flown in, and for now, the championship relies on rented spaces to stage fights. 'We are hoping that the government will also help us have access to proper infrastructure,' Fayad said. 'If we had proper infrastructure, people would go to stadiums to watch. So that's what we are looking for, so it can make our operation easier.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
eNCA
14-06-2025
- Sport
- eNCA
MMA draws thousands in Nigeria as fight sport gains ground
The arena was packed on Friday night in the upscale Lekki neighbourhood of Nigeria's bustling commercial capital, Lagos. Eighteen fighters from eight African countries were slugging it out before thousands of cheering mixed martial arts (MMA) fans. It was the ninth instalment of the African Knockout Championship, an MMA fight league that started off in 2020 as a reality television show in Lagos as the Covid-19 lockdown waned in Nigeria. The formal championship started in May 2023 and has since hosted fighters from 18 countries, the chief operating officer of African Knockout, Ryan Fayad, told AFP. While football remains king in the west African country, combat sports such as boxing and wrestling have enjoyed moderate success and produced continental and world champions in the past. Traditional 'Dambe' boxing has held audiences spellbound for years, especially in the northern region of the country. But the exploits of Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman, former UFC middleweight and welterweight champions, respectively, are spurring interest in organised mixed martial arts in the African economic powerhouse. African Knockout is "driven by the fact that Africa doesn't have any platform totally oriented for African talent to showcase themselves to the world and progress to reach those international stages," Fayad, a Lebanese who has lived in Nigeria for 13 years, told AFP. "The drive behind all this... is to find the next Kamaru Usman and the next Israel Adesanya and promote them all the way to the international stages." Fayad said Usman is "totally hands-on" with the championship: apart from speaking publicly about the championship in the past, the former UFC champion has also promoted it on social media. About five thousand fans watched the last edition held in April in person, and several thousands more streamed the fights online. - 'Not about money' - "It's not about money," said Jibrin Inuwa Baba, 28, a four-time national kickboxing gold medallist, who is scheduled to fight the winner of Friday's main event later in August. The main card of the night is the lightweight faceoff between Jean Do Santos from neighbouring Benin and homeboy Emmanuel Nworie. AFP | TOYIN ADEDOKUN "I decided to do this sport because of the love of the sport and love of competition," Baba told AFP. He said that while MMA is growing "fast in Nigeria," there is still plenty of work to be done. Eighteen fighters -- two of them female -- are in the octagon on Friday night. Roughly half of them are Nigerians with fighters from Egypt, Angola, Togo, Burkina Faso and Cameroon also on the card. Cameroon's Styve Essono, who defeated Nigeria's Damilare Abdulrahim, said his victory "will open up a lot of opportunities for me". Eighteen-year-old Nigerian Fabian Texas shrugged aside being ill to knock out Egypt's Mahmud Ibrahim in the second-round. "We are still coming up, and I feel that we are not there yet," Baba, who holds a degree in civil engineering, told AFP at the weigh-in for the fighters on Thursday. Still, the championship has seen a measure of success since it began, with one of its fighters -- DR Congo's Josias Musasa--making his UFC debut in March. - Good fights - The crowd roared as kicks and punches flew. A valiant performance by Angola's Andre Mukisi, who fought on to victory against Togo's Fred Kudzete, despite being tired, drew one of the biggest rounds of applause. "The crowd is here for the good fights and not really about home support for Nigerian fighters," Lois Ogunniyi, a 30-year-old media executive who runs Fist2Fist, a small online community of MMA fans, told AFP. AFP | TOYIN ADEDOKUN Despite the growing interest and optimism that the championship will eventually be exported to other African countries, Fayad said the lack of infrastructure and the absence of institutional support are impeding the growth of the sport in Nigeria. He said getting visas for foreign fighters was always cumbersome, some officials are flown in, and for now, the championship relies on rented spaces to stage fights. "We are hoping that the government will also help us have access to proper infrastructure," Fayad said. "If we had proper infrastructure, people would go to stadiums to watch. So that's what we are looking for, so it can make our operation easier."
News.com.au
14-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
MMA draws thousands in Nigeria as fight sport gains ground
The arena was packed on Friday night in the upscale Lekki neighbourhood of Nigeria's bustling commercial capital, Lagos. Eighteen fighters from eight African countries were slugging it out before thousands of cheering mixed martial arts (MMA) fans. It was the ninth instalment of the African Knockout Championship, an MMA fight league that started off in 2020 as a reality television show in Lagos as the Covid-19 lockdown waned in Nigeria. The formal championship started in May 2023 and has since hosted fighters from 18 countries, the chief operating officer of African Knockout, Ryan Fayad, told AFP. While football remains king in the west African country, combat sports such as boxing and wrestling have enjoyed moderate success and produced continental and world champions in the past. Traditional 'Dambe' boxing has held audiences spellbound for years, especially in the northern region of the country. But the exploits of Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman, former UFC middleweight and welterweight champions, respectively, are spurring interest in organised mixed martial arts in the African economic powerhouse. African Knockout is "driven by the fact that Africa doesn't have any platform totally oriented for African talent to showcase themselves to the world and progress to reach those international stages," Fayad, a Lebanese who has lived in Nigeria for 13 years, told AFP. "The drive behind all this... is to find the next Kamaru Usman and the next Israel Adesanya and promote them all the way to the international stages." Fayad said Usman is "totally hands-on" with the championship: apart from speaking publicly about the championship in the past, the former UFC champion has also promoted it on social media. About five thousand fans watched the last edition held in April in person, and several thousands more streamed the fights online. - 'Not about money' - "It's not about money," said Jibrin Inuwa Baba, 28, a four-time national kickboxing gold medallist, who is scheduled to fight the winner of Friday's main event later in August. The main card of the night is the lightweight faceoff between Jean Do Santos from neighbouring Benin and homeboy Emmanuel Nworie. "I decided to do this sport because of the love of the sport and love of competition," Baba told AFP. He said that while MMA is growing "fast in Nigeria," there is still plenty of work to be done. Eighteen fighters -- two of them female -- are in the octagon on Friday night. Roughly half of them are Nigerians with fighters from Egypt, Angola, Togo, Burkina Faso and Cameroon also on the card. Cameroon's Styve Essono, who defeated Nigeria's Damilare Abdulrahim, said his victory "will open up a lot of opportunities for me". Eighteen-year-old Nigerian Fabian Texas shrugged aside being ill to knock out Egypt's Mahmud Ibrahim in the second-round. "We are still coming up, and I feel that we are not there yet," Baba, who holds a degree in civil engineering, told AFP at the weigh-in for the fighters on Thursday. Still, the championship has seen a measure of success since it began, with one of its fighters -- DR Congo's Josias Musasa--making his UFC debut in March. - Good fights - The crowd roared as kicks and punches flew. A valiant performance by Angola's Andre Mukisi, who fought on to victory against Togo's Fred Kudzete, despite being tired, drew one of the biggest rounds of applause. "The crowd is here for the good fights and not really about home support for Nigerian fighters," Lois Ogunniyi, a 30-year-old media executive who runs Fist2Fist, a small online community of MMA fans, told AFP. Despite the growing interest and optimism that the championship will eventually be exported to other African countries, Fayad said the lack of infrastructure and the absence of institutional support are impeding the growth of the sport in Nigeria. He said getting visas for foreign fighters was always cumbersome, some officials are flown in, and for now, the championship relies on rented spaces to stage fights. "We are hoping that the government will also help us have access to proper infrastructure," Fayad said. "If we had proper infrastructure, people would go to stadiums to watch. So that's what we are looking for, so it can make our operation easier."
