The Professional Fighters League (PFL) recently announced that its inaugural event on the African continent, scheduled for July 26 in Cape Town, will notably include a Champions Series portion. This significant part of the fight card is slated to be headlined by the promotion`s undefeated stars, Johnny Eblen and Dakota Ditcheva.
Eblen, the former Bellator middleweight champion boasting a perfect 16-0 professional record, is set to defend his 185-pound championship belt against Costello van Steenis. In a separate featured matchup, Dakota Ditcheva, the current 2024 PFL flyweight champion, will face Sumiko Inaba in what will be a non-title affair.
In addition to the Champions Series, the PFL Africa segment of the event will also serve as the launchpad for continental tournaments. These competitions will feature eight fighters in both the heavyweight and bantamweight divisions vying for supremacy.
Eblen`s last appearance in the cage was a successful title defense in a rematch against Fabian Edwards, which he won via unanimous decision. Van Steenis (16-3) comes into this fight on the back of impressive finishing victories against Gregory Babene, achieved under the Bellator banner, and Joao Vitor Dantas during his time in the PFL.
Ditcheva, maintaining an unblemished 14-0 record, previously captured the 2023 PFL Europe tournament crown with three finishes during her dominant run. She has carried that winning momentum into 2024, securing three more decisive first-round stoppages, including a championship-winning performance against UFC veteran Taila Santos.
Inaba (8-1) built her entire prior professional fighting career exclusively within the Bellator promotion. Following the merger between the two organizations, she transitioned to the PFL roster and recorded a finish victory against Mackenzie Stiller in her most recent fight, which took place in September 2024.
Percy Harlow