WINDHOEK: Day three of the IMMAF Africa Championships made up for the previous day’s disappointment as 50 fighters successfully made the walk to the cage to deliver a monster quarter-final fight card.
On Wednesday, the junior and senior round of 16 unfortunately only saw three out of six fights take place as the rest were all cancelled due to either athletes failing to make the weight or no-shows, leaving fans with only an hour of entertainment at the Hybrid Centre in Windhoek, Namibia.
But yesterday, the continental showpiece in Namibia’s capital more than satisfied MMA fans’ appetites.
With the championships heading toward the business end, the intensity was evident on many of the athletes’ faces as most know what the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), the international governing body for MMA, can do for their careers.
Team South Africa had a mixed bag of results at the start of the competition, winning five out of eight fights as TJ Esterhuizen (lightweight), Daniel James and Obakeng Mahura (both flyweight), Sisa Jungula (bantamweight) and Tyrone Platt (welterweight) all booked their spots in the semi-finals of their divisions.
IMMAF 2023 champion and Namibian flyweight star Damian Muller once again got the crowd on its feet as he made a statement against the 2022 IMMAF Africa bantamweight champion Maurio Silva.
Similar to the night before, when Muller used his time to find the openings and download his opponent’s playbook before getting the TKO in round two, the flyweight silenced the loud Angolan crowd in round two as he secured a technical knockout via strikes and made a big claim for his second IMMAF Africa flyweight title.
The only hiccup of the day was the fight between Zimbabwe’s (SA-based) former IMMAF 2022 lightweight king Lewis Mataya and South Africa’s Liam Schulze.
Mataya was set to return to the IMMAF’s octagon and continue pursuing his dream after facing visa issues.
According to Schulze’s coach Dwain Meredith, the respected amateur athlete tore his hamstring just moments before his walkout.
Adalberto Ntyamba was one of many Angolan athletes who stood tall for the Republic by putting his division on notice after making light work of a tough Sipho Mlaba from South Africa via anaconda choke in the first round to advance to the semi-finals.
Ntyamba’s win was one of six at the time of going to print, and reiterated Angola’s dominance at the champs as they bagged 16 medals in the youth leg on Tuesday.
Tomorrow, the semi-final leg of the tournament starts at 11am.
* Stay tuned to MzansiMMA’s Instagram account for the rest of the results of the day and continued updates from the championship.
* Julian Kiewietz’s trip to Namibia for the IMMAF Africa Championships was made possible by Intergro.
Day 3 Results
Junior / Men / Lightweight 70.3kg / Quarter-Finals
TJ Esterhuizen (SA) beat Martial Mballa (Cameroon) via unanimous decision
Ken Saleh (DRC) beat Jayden Liyambo (Namibia) via TKO in the second round
Ricardo Pireza (Angola) beat Daniel Wadieh (Ghana) via submission
Juniors / Men / Welterweight 77.1kg / Quarter-Finals
Josue Eli Wawina (DRC) beat Rafael Viegas (Angola) via TKO
Seniors / Men / Flyweight 56.7kg / Quarter-Finals
Damian Muller (Namibia) beat Maurio Silva (Angola) via TKO in the second round
Mafuana Mbungo (Angola) beat Daniel Muleba (Zambia) via unanimous decision
Daniel James (SA) beat Anele Chinembiri (Zimbabwe) via TKO (due to strikes) in the first round
Obakeng Mahura (SA) beat Eliezer Makonda (DRC) via TKO due to strikes in the second round
Seniors / Men / Bantamweight 61.2kg / Quarter-Finals
Cedric Kalenga (DRC) beat Tryford Mwaanga (Zambia) via unanimous decision
Abraham Banda (Zambia) beat Tinotenda Tyler Kawocha (Zimbabwe) via unanimous decision
Sisa Jungula (SA) beat Mandume Kaukungwa (Namibia) via unanimous decision
Adalberto Ntyamba (Angola) beat Sipho Mlaba (SA) via anaconda choke in the first round
Seniors / Men / Featherweight 65.8kg / Quarter-Finals
Matias Montero (Angola) beat Harouna Luimbu (DRC) via unanimous decision
Clelio Diogo (Angola) beat Jacques Mbuyi (DRC) by unanimous decision
Lewis Mataya (Zimbabwe) won by walkover as Liam Schulze (SA) forfeit
Bryn Gwavava (Zimbabwe) beat Festus Djuulume (Namibia) via unanimous decision
Seniors / Men / Lightweight 70.3kg / Quarter-Finals
Alex Junior Kamgang (Cameroon) beat Pedro Calembela (Angola) via unanimous decision
William Bombo (Angola) beat Kudakwashe Mutanga (Zimbabwe) via triangle choke in the first round
Killian Lungu (Zambia) beat Iviwe Mphathiswa (SA) via unanimous decision
Jeremie Likobele (DRC) beat Portus Chama (Zambia) via unanimous decision
Seniors / Men / Welterweight 77.1kg / Quarter-Finals
Tyrone Platt (SA) beat Marc Tchounkeu Oya (Cameroon) via unanimous decision