Latest news with #PFLChampionsSeries:Africa
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
PFL Champions Series: Africa – Make your predictions for Cape Town debut
We want your predictions for Saturday's PFL Champions Series: Africa event in Cape Town, South Africa. Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we'll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT). Those reader consensus picks will be part of the staff predictions we release ahead of PFL Champions Series: Africa (ESPN+), which takes place at GrandWest Arena. Make your picks below. Corey Anderson vs. Denis Goltsov Takeshi Izumi vs. Artur Zaynukov Akhmed Magomedov vs. A.J. McKee Dakota Ditcheva vs. Sumiko Inaba Johnny Eblen vs. Costello van Steenis MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
How to watch PFL Champions\u00a0Series: Africa – Who's fighting, lineup, start time, odds
For the first time, the PFL has set up shop in Africa for a PFL Champions Series event at the southern tip of the continent in Cape Town, South Africa. Here's how to watch PFL Champions Series: Africa with lineups, fight info and more. Broadcast and streaming info PFL Champions Series: Africa takes place Saturday at GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, South Africa. The card streams on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET and features a middleweight title fight at the top of the lineup. Main event: Johnny Eblen Main event: Costello van Steenis Co-main event: Dakota Ditcheva Co-main event: Sumiko Inaba PFL Champions Series: Africa lineup (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET) Preview videos
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dakota Ditcheva: Long layoff 'kind of worth it' to fight at PFL Africa debut
Dakota Ditcheva: Long layoff 'kind of worth it' to fight at PFL Africa debut Dakota Ditcheva is glad to be back in action at PFL Champions Series: Africa following a period of inactivity that left her frustrated. After being sidelined since October, Ditcheva revealed in April some of her disappointment with PFL not putting her back in the cage on a timeline she desired in an interview with MMA Junkie. Shortly thereafter, news came she would be returning to competition in the summer. Although Ditcheva (14-0) said her comments caused some awkwardness with PFL behind the scenes, she said it ultimately worked out in her favor. She will now face Sumiko Inaba (8-1) on the July 19 card in Cape Town, the inaugural event for the PFL in South Africa. "This sport takes you places you probably wouldn't be able to visit if it didn't have organizations like this taking it around the world," Ditcheva said. "You have to be very grateful with the opportunity you get in MMA and being able to be co-main event on a card like this to make history, it's crazy to me. I guess the wait this year was kind of worth it." Ditcheva, 26, said her communication with the PFL brass has somewhat improved, along with her understanding of the hectic schedule the brass is pushing through to grow the brand across the globe. Whether she is part of that for the long term remains to be seen, because she said she is still "figuring a few things out" and negotiating specifics. One thing Ditcheva is confident in, however, is more consistent activity. She said the company has obligations to honor, and if she gets past Inaba, who is a name she has to take "serious," then she will be eying the winner of the 2025 PFL World Tournament in the women's flyweight division. "I haven't really got much direction yet," Ditcheva said. "I know they are going to keep me busy. They have to. You will see me fight again this year for sure. ... I'm hungry. How they have another champ this year when I won it last year? They should be challenging me, not all fighting each other to get another belt. "Why am I not in that tournament defending my belt? It just makes me hungry. This fight isn't for a belt, so I'm still going to go with the same hunger, but I'm going to make a statement to everyone that the belt they're fighting for this year should be mine, not theirs."
