CAPE TOWN – The Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) could return to your television set by the end of September.
Following the easing of lockdown regulations amid the coronavirus pandemic, the EFC brains trust have something cooking for mixed martial arts fans across the world.
“Yes, we are planning an event with no date assigned yet, but we are aiming for the end of September,” says EFC vice president and matchmaker, Graeme Cartmell.
“The plan is to have the biggest comeback event yet. Dricus du Plessis vs Gideon Drotschie looks like the best option in that regard. Nothing has been 100% locked down contractually, but we have discussed the bout with both parties and they have verbally committed.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has led the way in these dark times, being the first organisation to have live events across the world – putting up a handful of productions with some memorable title fights on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, along with hosting events at their Apex Centre.
And now the EFC can follow suit in a similar fashion by hosting its events at headquarters in Paulshof, Sandton as well – which will see the omission of fans and only play host to officials, judges, corners and fighters. There is a possibility that media will be allowed.
“Yes, the PI (Performance Institute) has been set up to accommodate the ‘real show’ feel since we piloted ‘The Fighter’ (reality show).
“It’s designed for a world class event; lighting, sound and production have been considered and refined so that we literally can recreate a world-class EFC in the venue,” says Cartmell.
Subscribe to the IOL Sport Newsletter!
Du Plessis and Drotschie are likely to fight for the interim Light Heavyweight title following the unlikely return of current title-holder, Cameroon’s Simon Biyong (7-1).
Following his win over Quinton Rossouw at EFC82, Biyong signed with the Rizin Fighting Federation. It is unclear what his future holds. Reliable sources within the MMA community have informed Independent Media that the EFC Light Heavyweight champ was set to fight on Dana White’s The Contender Series prior to the pandemic.
Should Biyong return, it could take a while before he gets to defend his EFC title. But the chances are that he could relinquish his title, especially with all that is going on in the world at the moment.
This all bodes well for the current Middleweight EFC champ, former EFC and KSW Welterweight champ, Du Plessis (14-2) and former Light Heavyweight champ, Drotschie (7-3). A chance to add to their impressive profiles.
The last EFC event was EFC84 which saw Themba Gorimbo successfully defend his Welterweight title against Lyle Karam.
@JulianKiewietz