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IMMAF | Athletes announced for 2022 Africa Championships
IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation) have revealed the provisional lists of National teams and Athletes that will participate in it’s upcoming Africa Championships in Johannesburg.
Returning to South Africa for the first time since 2019, the IMMAF African Championships will be broadcasted live from EFC’s Studio following a partnership between Mixed Martial Arts South Africa (MMASA) and the EFC performance institute.
The event will take place over three days between 28 and 30 April and will be broadcast on IMMAF at the following times.
Thursday 28 April, from 11:00 hrs (UTC+2/ local time)
Friday 29 April, from 11:00 hrs (UTC+2/ local time)
Saturday 30 April, 11:00 hrs (UTC+2/ local time)
You can see the full list of IMMAF Nations and Athletes below.
ANGOLA
Andreza Antonio – Women’s F: Strawweight 52.2 kg (115 lbs)
Moneza Neves – Women’s F: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Adalberto Ntyamba – Men’s M: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Maurio Silva – Men’s M: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Divaldo Vicente – Men’s M: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
Elizandro Sousa – Men’s M: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
Luan Tomas Shaka – Men’s M: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
Osvaldo Benedito – Men’s M: Welterweight 77.1 kg (170 lbs)
Ivandro Francisco – Men’s M: Welterweight 77.1 kg (170 lbs)
Elisio Zua – Men’s M: Middleweight 83.9 kg (185 lbs)
Garcia Kinkela – Men’s M: Middleweight 83.9 kg (185 lbs)
Enoque Emilio Kakesa – Men’s M: Light Heavyweight 93 kg (205 lbs)
Stanislau Kakesse Wezy – Men’s M: Light Heavyweight 93 kg (205 lbs)
Juliao Pimenta – Men’s M: Heavyweight 120.2 kg (265 lbs)
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Moise Saidi – Men’s M: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Gorges Ngoma – Men’s M: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Tresor Musampa – Men’s M: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
mantshiumba ruffus – Men’s M: Welterweight 77.1 kg (170 lbs)
Billy Nyembo – Men’s M: Middleweight 83.9 kg (185 lbs)
Kasese Muntamba – Men’s M: Light Heavyweight 93 kg (205 lbs)
Jean jacques Lubaya – Men’s M: Light Heavyweight 93 kg (205 lbs)
MAURITIUS
Emmanuel Venethitan – Men’s M: Flyweight 56.7 kg (125 lbs)
Djadoo Lionel ashley cedric – Men’s M: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Geraldo Moïse – Men’s M: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
Stephane Samuel Margoton – Men’s M: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
Vedaman Canee – Men’s M: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
Jason Maurice – Men’s M: Welterweight 77.1 kg (170 lbs)
NAMIBIA
Jason Beukes – Men’s M: Flyweight 56.7 kg (125 lbs)
Paulino Alan Vumpa – Men’s M: Flyweight 56.7 kg (125 lbs)
Veja Hinda – Men’s M: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
Eduardo Platt – Men’s M: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
Geraldo Bok – Men’s M: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
Uys Landsberg – Men’s M: Heavyweight 120.2 kg (265 lbs)
NIGERIA
Chinonye Bernadette Attoh – Women’s F: Flyweight 56.7 kg (125 lbs)
Gertrude Terlumum – Women’s F: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
SOUTH AFRICA
Bianca Stander – Women’s F: Strawweight 52.2 kg (115 lbs)
Cassandra Le Roux – Women’s F: Strawweight 52.2 kg (115 lbs)
Nadia Terblanche – Women’s F: Flyweight 56.7 kg (125 lbs)
Nicole Van Wyk – Women’s F: Flyweight 56.7 kg (125 lbs)
Mathys du Randt – Men’s M: Flyweight 56.7 kg (125 lbs)
Philani SHABALALA – Men’s M: Flyweight 56.7 kg (125 lbs)
Mischka Laubscher – Women’s F: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Nathanial Komana – Men’s M: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Carissa Botha – Women’s F: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Sipho Mlaba – Men’s M: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Nicolaas Vermaak – Men’s M: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
londiwe hadebe – Women’s F: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
Kiara Fegen – Women’s F: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
Allistar Kunene – Men’s M: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
Cameron Coulson – Men’s M: Welterweight 77.1 kg (170 lbs)
Esteban Van Der Berg – Men’s M: Welterweight 77.1 kg (170 lbs)
Adei Volker – Men’s M: Middleweight 83.9 kg (185 lbs)
Muhammad Mall – Men’s M: Light Heavyweight 93 kg (205 lbs)
Zhane Tannous – Men’s M: Light Heavyweight 93 kg (205 lbs)
Andile Madlala – Men’s M: Heavyweight 120.2 kg (265 lbs)
TUNISIA
Aymen Nefzi – Men’s M: Light Heavyweight 93 kg (205 lbs)
Skander Ben Ghali – Men’s M: Heavyweight 120.2 kg (265 lbs)
ZAMBIA
Mwelwa Nkhata – Men’s M: Bantamweight 61.2 kg (135 lbs)
Jarcel Chimbwe – Men’s M: Featherweight 65.8 kg (145 lbs)
Ken Nyaondo – Men’s M: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
Joseph Mwanza – Men’s M: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
Kelvin Chishimba – Men’s M: Welterweight 77.1 kg (170 lbs)
ZIMBABWE
Lewis Mataya – Men’s M: Lightweight 70.3 kg (155 lbs)
ATHLETES BY WEIGHT DIVISION
WOMEN’S F: STRAWWEIGHT 52.2 KG (115 LBS)
Andreza Antonio – Angola
Bianca Stander – South Africa
Cassandra Le Roux – South Africa
WOMEN’S F: FLYWEIGHT 56.7 KG (125 LBS)
Chinonye Bernadette Attoh – Nigeria
Nadia Terblanche – South Africa
Nicole Van Wyk – South Africa
MEN’S M: FLYWEIGHT 56.7 KG (125 LBS)
Emmanuel Venethitan – Mauritius
Jason Beukes – Namibia
Mathys du Randt – South Africa
Paulino Alan Vumpa – Namibia
Philani SHABALALA – South Africa
MEN’S M: BANTAMWEIGHT 61.2 KG (135 LBS)
Adalberto Ntyamba – Angola
Djadoo Lionel ashley cedric – Mauritius
Gorges Ngoma – Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Maurio Silva – Angola
Moise Saidi – Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Mwelwa Nkhata – Zambia
Nathanial Komana – South Africa
Sipho Mlaba – South Africa
WOMEN’S F: BANTAMWEIGHT 61.2 KG (135 LBS)
Carissa Botha – South Africa
Gertrude Terlumum – Nigeria
Mischka Laubscher – South Africa
Moneza Neves – Angola
MEN’S M: FEATHERWEIGHT 65.8 KG (145 LBS)
Divaldo Vicente – Angola
Elizandro Sousa – Angola
Geraldo Moïse – Mauritius
Jarcel Chimbwe – Zambia
Nicolaas Vermaak – South Africa
Stephane Samuel Margoton – Mauritius
Tresor Musampa – Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Veja Hinda – Namibia
WOMEN’S F: FEATHERWEIGHT 65.8 KG (145 LBS)
londiwe hadebe – South Africa
MEN’S M: LIGHTWEIGHT 70.3 KG (155 LBS)
Allistar Kunene – South Africa
Eduardo Platt – Namibia
Geraldo Bok – Namibia
Joseph Mwanza – Zambia
Ken Nyaondo – Zambia
Lewis Mataya – Zimbabwe
Luan Tomas Shaka – Angola
Vedaman Canee – Mauritius
WOMEN’S F: LIGHTWEIGHT 70.3 KG (155 LBS)
Kiara Fegen – South Africa
MEN’S M: WELTERWEIGHT 77.1 KG (170 LBS)
Cameron Coulson – South Africa
Esteban Van Der Berg – South Africa
Ivandro Francisco – Angola
Jason Maurice – Mauritius
Kelvin Chishimba – Zambia
Osvaldo Benedito – Angola
mantshiumba ruffus – Democratic Republic Of The Congo
MEN’S M: MIDDLEWEIGHT 83.9 KG (185 LBS)
Adei Volker – South Africa
Billy Nyembo – Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Elisio Zua – Angola
Garcia Kinkela – Angola
MEN’S M: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 93 KG (205 LBS)
Aymen Nefzi – Tunisia
Enoque Emilio Kakesa – Angola
Jean jacques Lubaya – Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Kasese Muntamba – Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Muhammad Mall – South Africa
Stanislau Kakesse Wezy – Angola
Zhane Tannous – South Africa
MEN’S M: HEAVYWEIGHT 120.2 KG (265 LBS)
Andile Madlala – South Africa
Juliao Pimenta – Angola
Skander Ben Ghali – Tunisia
Uys Landsberg – Namibia
The whirlwind surrounding Ryan Garcia’s victory over Devin Haney last weekend is just beginning to settle down but it seems the controversial boxer is intent on staying in the headlines as he eyes UFC champion, Sean O’Malley.
The bizarre lead up to the fight with Haney was plagued with erratic behaviour on Garcia’s part, rumours of a mental breakdown, signs of alcohol and drug issues, and generally controversial behaviour. Garcia missed weight by 3.2lbs, and appeared to chug a beer on the scales during the weigh ins.
Entering the fight as an underdog, Garcia surprised everybody by dropping Haney three times and emerging victorious by majority decision. After the fight, Garcia insisted he drank and smoked every day in the build up to the fight and still picked up the win. This shocking turn of events has now opened up a variety of possible lucrative match ups for Garcia going forward, and it seems one MMA superstar wants a piece of that action.
The UFC hasn’t sanctioned a boxing crossover bout since Conor McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather back in 2017. ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley has long campaigned for the opportunity to test his striking skills against Garcia, and this week on his podcast The Timbo Sugar Show, he insisted that the UFC have already given him the green light to seek out some opportunities in the boxing ring:
“A boxing fight’s possible for sure. I’m not there yet. I’ve still got to become bigger. Two more f*cking sick performances, then we’re talking about being able to do it.
O’Malley continued: “They told me ‘You can do a boxing fight, 100 percent, if it makes us enough money’. The option is there, it just has to be able to make enough money. But Ryan being a f*cking freak like that, you need two A-sides to make a f*cking Floyd v Conor fight”.
Ryan Garcia tweeted an image of himself and O’Malley this week with the caption: “RAINBOW CACA BRAIN. WANTS TO BOX. BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW”
RAINBOW CACA BRAIN
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) April 22, 2024
WANTS TO BOX
BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW pic.twitter.com/GGrvV7ZSCH
Sean O’Malley became the UFC’s bantamweight champion when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last August. He then defended the belt and avenged the only loss on his record when he dominated Marlon Vera over five rounds at UFC 299 in March.
The next step in the fascinating UFC journey of Alex Pereira remains to be seen. ‘Poatan’ pulled off a sensational knockout finish over Jamahal Hill in the first round of their main event bout at UFC 300 to defend his light heavyweight belt.
In his post-fight interview, the Brazilian called for the opportunity to compete at heavyweight at UFC 301 which takes place in Rio De Janeiro in just a couple of weeks. UFC president Dana White seemed unenthusiastic about that idea, however, and it seems now that the dust has settled after 300, Pereira is a little more willing to take his time before signing up for his next fight.
In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca podcast, Pereira was asked if he’d rather defend his 205lb title again or test the waters in the heavyweight division. He responded:
“It’s hard to answer that. I haven’t thought too much about it yet. If it’s a longer period of time, I’d obviously rather defend my belt. If it takes too long and I fight at heavyweight and there are injuries, when am I going to defend my belt? I don’t want to hold up the division.
I was imagining the best-case scenario when I called for a heavyweight fight at UFC 301, but I have two broken toes. Both feet are f*cked. It’s complicated. I don’t want to hold up the light heavyweight division. A cool scenario would have been fighting at heavyweight at 301 and then giving the opportunity to someone to fight for the light heavyweight belt next. I think that would have been cool”.
205lb contender Magomed Ankalaev has called for a fight with Pereira on the UFC’s October pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi, but ‘Poatan’ brushed that idea off instantly, saying:
“I don’t want to fight at the end of the year. I want to fight sooner, so maybe that shows he won’t be ready. I don’t know why he said that. This guy is complicated”.
If Pereira manages to get another win under his belt and is ready to go again before the end of the year, he said he would much rather compete on the Madison Square Garden event in November, which is closer to his current home in Danbury.
“It makes total sense” he said. “Wait one more month and I’m fighting at home? It’s so much better”.
ONE Championship’s striking roster has continued to flourish in 2024, and it got even stronger this week with the announcement of another elite kickboxer putting pen to paper in the world’s largest martial arts organization. Japanese megastar Masaaki Noiri has officially inked a deal with ONE, and he’s set to add further depth to the stand-up ranks.
Noiri is a former two-division K-1 World Champion and Grand Prix Champion, and he’s also a former WBC Japanese Muay Thai Champion.
Fighting in ONE will allow him to switch between the two sports whenever he wants, and this is an exciting prospect for the 30-year-old.
“As ONE officially announced, I have signed a contract with ONE Championship, the highest stage for striking. If I want to pursue being the strongest in the world that I believe in, this is a stage I have to challenge on,” Noiri said.
“I believe ONE is the ultimate stage for striking, so I wanted to challenge myself in that ring. I’m pursuing to be the strongest in the world through martial arts, so I chose this path to test if the current Masaaki Noiri can make it in ONE.”
It would be remiss of ONE’s hottest new signing not to have World Title ambitions as he embarks on his new journey.
However, along with gold, Noiri’s looking to show the world what strikers from his country can do, and he hopes a world-class compatriot can help him in that mission.
“[My plan is] to definitely win the ONE world title,” Noiri said.
“Not just me, but together with Takeru Segawa. And we’ll prove the strength of Japanese fighters to the world.”
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