South Africa's first-ever PFL Africa champion, Nkosi Ndebele (12-3) in action against Italy’s Michele Clemente at PFL Africa in Pretoria earlier this year. Ndebele has officially earned his long-awaited shot on the PFL Global stage!
South Africa's first-ever PFL Africa champion, Nkosi Ndebele (12-3), is officially set to graduate to the global stage of the Professional Fighters League next month.
The 2025 PFL Africa Tournament champion will face American Mando Gutierrez (11-5) in a bantamweight clash at PFL D.C. on July 25, 2026, marking Ndebele's official introduction to the promotion's elite global roster.
The event takes place at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., and will be headlined by undefeated 2025 PFL Welterweight Tournament champion Thad Jean (11-0), who takes on 2024 tournament winner Shamil Musaev (20-1-1) for the vacant PFL Welterweight World Championship.
Ndebele has enjoyed a remarkable rise since joining PFL Africa. Before signing with the promotion, he made history in BRAVE Combat Federation by becoming the first South African to capture BRAVE CF bantamweight gold in 2023.
