South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele and Italy’s Michele Clemente pose infront of the picturesque Union Buildings in Pretoria ahead of PFL Africa taking place at the SunBet Arena on Friday night. | PFL Africa
Image: PFL Africa
PFL Africa’s 2025 tournament champion Nkosi Ndebele (11-3) says that he was initially set to compete against the PFL Europe 2025 champion, Barus “The Sniper” Adiguzel (10-1), in March before the fight fell through.
Aside from the opportunity of a lifetime to perform in front of his home crowd once again, this is one of the reasons why he chose to accept a Bantamweight Showcase main event bout ahead of this weekend’s PFL Africa: Season 2 card.
Ndebele — who beat the DRC’s Boule Godogo (4-2) last year in Cotonou, Benin, in December — secured the $100 000 championship prize money (about R1.88 million) and a potential shot at the PFL International Circuit with his feat.
According to the South African, a bout against Adiguzel — who beat Dean Garnett in the 2025 PFL Europe final in Lyon — was set to take place in March at the PFL Madrid card: Costello van Steenis vs Fabian Edwards 2.
PFL Africa fight card.
Image: Supplied
“Listen, I wasn’t actually supposed to be fighting on the PFL Africa card. I was booked for March 20 in Madrid, Spain, but my opponent — the 2025 PFL Europe champion — was observing Ramadan, so he couldn’t take the fight,” says Ndebele, who will now face Italy’s Michele Clemente (7-1) at the SunBet Arena in Time Square, Pretoria, on Friday night.
While Ndebele is excited to test himself against the world’s best outside of Africa, he loves staying active, and what better way to do that than to compete in front of his beloved South African fans in a place where he last fought eight years ago as an amateur in the Fight Star Promotion.
“It was either wait a little longer and keep training until July/August, or stay active, which is what I prefer. Also, the fact that PFL Africa returns to South Africa and provides me with the opportunity to perform in front of my fellow South Africans is why you see me here, even though I am facing an international fighter!”
Ndebele, a former BRAVE CF Bantamweight champion as well, has indicated his plans to focus on the international circuit moving forward, though.
“I want to go global — that’s where I belong. If Africans want to see me back in PFL Africa, tell PFL Africa to pay me what I’m worth, and then you’ll see me again. Otherwise, you won’t see me here anymore,” he said with a confident chuckle.
Ndebele has walked a long road and did the hard yards building up his career to what it is today, from the days of amateur glory to becoming the first South African BRAVE CF champion, to then securing Mzansi’s first-ever PFL title. An incredible feat for the young man who grew up in Diepsloot — a densely populated township situated in the far northern part of Johannesburg.
And it is his very journey that keeps him grounded and focused on putting goodness back into the world with the opportunities he is given.
“Humbleness, man. I know where I started — I started from the hood. Where I’m from, things were rough, and I want to change that narrative. That’s why wherever I go, I always shout out where I’m from. I want people to know it’s possible to come from the hood and make it to the big stage. Knowing where I come from and the challenges I’ve endured keeps the fire burning in me,” added Ndebele.
While Ndebele is the more experienced fighter in comparison to his Italian counterpart, he was quick to extinguish any ideas that he is treating this fight any differently.
“I don’t care about numbers. I don’t care about records. I never judge a book by its cover,” he said of Clemente, who was crowned the Wolf Fighting Championship Bantamweight king in 2023.
“I never look at someone with a worse record and think it’ll be easy, and I never look at someone with a better record and think it’ll be harder. I know where I belong — I belong at the top. That’s all that matters. I am the King of Many Nations, and on Friday, I will be the King of Italy, too.
“To the fans, Mzansi, come out in numbers, man. It’s going to be a banger. PFL Africa is bringing the heat. This atmosphere will be unlike anything you’ve felt before. Come support your own. There’s going to be a lot of South African talent on that stage. Show up and let’s take this sport to the top.”
Speaking during media day in Pretoria, PFL Africa General Manager Elias Schulze clarified the pathway for African champions after questions arose regarding whether local titleholders would automatically move into the wider PFL global system.
“The vision of PFL Africa has always been to create a sustainable ecosystem within Africa where top athletes can compete globally while also fighting on home soil,” Schulze said.
He explained that while champions such as Nkosi will still compete internationally, the PFL wants fighters to retain the option of defending their status in Africa.
“Nkosi made the incredible decision to bring the belt home and compete here in South Africa. We expect there will be global fights for him and others as well. That has always been the goal — fighters can compete profitably in Africa and then fight at the global level too.”
In the co-main event, South Africa’s Justin Clarke (4–1) takes on Senegal’s Abdoullah Kane (5–1) in a heavyweight clash.
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, with further updates available on PFL Africa and MzansiMMA social media platforms.