Ocheme, Uchegbu lead Nigerian charge as PFL Africa Semi-Finals head to Morocco

Nigerian fighters Patrick Ocheme and Raphael Uchegbu will lead the country’s charge at the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Africa semi-finals, scheduled for 10 October, at the Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca, Morocco.

The event is being billed as Morocco’s biggest mixed martial arts night in history, with the winners of each semi-final earning a place in the PFL Africa Finals later this year.

The Casablanca show will also mark the PFL’s first event in North Africa as the promotion continues its ambitious expansion across the continent.

PFL Africa general manager Elias Schulze reiterated the league’s commitment to establishing a presence across Africa, saying: “We’re looking to go to all four corners of the continent.”

Uchegbu will feature in the bantamweight co-main event against unbeaten Algerian-Canadian Karim Henniene.

The Nigerian boasts an impressive 11-2 professional record, while Henniene enters the contest undefeated at 7-0.

Both fighters impressed at PFL Africa: Nigeria in June. Henniene secured a first-round submission victory, while Uchegbu announced himself with a dominant unanimous decision win.

Ocheme, meanwhile, will contest an all-Nigerian lightweight semi-final against Cornel Thompson, guaranteeing that Nigeria will have a representative in the division’s final.

The Nigerian fighter has remained unbeaten in nine of his last 10 outings and produced one of the most spectacular moments of the Lagos event when he stopped Cameroon’s Octave Ayinda with a devastating punch-and-flying-knee knockout.

He will now look to carry that momentum into Casablanca as he bids to secure his place in the PFL Africa Finals.

The heavyweight division will headline the Casablanca card, with Senegal’s Abdoulaye Kane facing Morocco’s Badr Medkouri.

Kane has won all five of his professional victories by stoppage, while Medkouri boasts eight knockouts from nine career wins and will have home support behind him.

The other semi-final contests will see Angola’s Shido Boris Esperança face South Africa’s Peace Nguphane, while Guinea-Bissau’s Rivaldo Pereira takes on Nigeria’s David Samuel.

READ ALSO: Nigerian fighters shine as PFL Africa debut sets stage for Lagos showdown

Senegal’s Demba Seck will battle Chad’s Hussain Al Kurdi, while Liberia’s Dwight Joseph faces Angola’s Boule Godogo.

With Algeria, Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Chad, Liberia and host Morocco all represented, the semi-final line-up underlines the increasingly continental nature of the PFL Africa project.

The competition has continued to expand since its Nigerian debut in Lagos earlier this year, and the Casablanca event represents another major step in the promotion’s drive to establish a strong MMA footprint across Africa.

For Ocheme and Uchegbu, however, the wider ambitions of the competition will take a back seat when they step into the cage. Both Nigerians will be chasing victory, a place in the finals and the opportunity to put themselves on the verge of PFL Africa glory.