CAPE TOWN - Angelo Addinall could not have asked for a better birthday present.
The co-owner of the Professional Fighting Championship will celebrate his “born-day” with a smile on his face knowing that his baby - the PFC - returns to action this coming Saturday after being grounded for almost a year to this day.
The last time we saw the fight promotion put on a show was at Grand West Casino at PFC14 which saw fans being treated to an array of mixed martial arts, kickboxing and boxing bouts.
The promotion was then supposed to follow it up with PFC Amateur Fight Night in March this year - however, the coronavirus pandemic had other plans.
With all events being shut down during the lockdown in the best interest of public’s health and safety, the PFC now finally have a chance to put on their next show - PFC Amateur Fight Night Rankings - following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
“It feels good to be back!” says the birthday boy whose father and co-owner of the Pro Fitness Academy, Neville Addinall first started the renowned gym and fight arm back in 2009.
“It’s definitely a great birthday present for me. I am so happy to be able to once again give opportunities to the hard working fighters and coaches.
“There won’t be any celebrations just yet. Sunday will be more focused on the partying, for now it’s PFC time!” says Angelo.
Exciting fights lined up for @PFCPromotions this weekend.
— MzansiMMA (@MmaMzansi) October 22, 2020
Below, we have the #Lightweight title fight between two of the most exciting athletes from @FighterzInc and @SBG #CapeTown #MMA #Boxing @IOLsport @EFCworldwide @SBG_Ireland pic.twitter.com/0A0YrOCmaY
The event which will take place at the Portuguese Club in Milnerton on Saturday will consist of ten bouts - five boxing bouts and five MMA bouts.
There will be title fights on the line, however, as the name states, it’s also a chance for some amateur fighters to get active and get on the rankings list as PFC prides itself on growing the amateur combat scene of South African.
The event - starting the afternoon will not cater for fans as per safety regulations and strict protocol will be followed in maintaining the safety of all attending in the midst of a pandemic.
There will be thorough clean-ups and sanitizing of the ring/cage in between each boxing and mma fight, therefore there will be no live feed or streaming in the spirit of convenience for fight fans.
A full-on production will be put together for the event soon after the actual show for fans to catch on the PFC Promotions Facebook page.
“It’s a bit weird not having any spectators, but I must give thanks to the PFC team who are working day in and day out to ensure all protocols are met. Special thanks go out to the gyms that are taking part, it’s been a long road and we are finally back at it. Lockdown took a lot away from the fighting industry, but as you know, we fight back and we are ready to begin a new era of events,” says Angelo.
“We’d also like to thank Intergro Technologies, Cellucity, 600CT, Advanced Telcoms, Golden Rewards, X factor and BioSmart who have all played a massive part in making this event possible,” he added.
Some of the big MMA fights to look forward to will be Lewis Mataya vs Emannuel Sita in the Lightweight Title fight as well as Jessica Mouneimne vs Bianca Stander for the women’s Strawweight strap.
In boxing, one of the most exciting prospects, Ne Kamenga Mapumba takes on Tshamunga Fouga.
This is the first official mixed code event to take place in Cape Town since the easing of lockdown, while AMMA (Alpha Mixed Martial Arts) recently hosted their first amatuer event two weeks back at the Mall of Africa in Gauteng.
Africa’s current premier MMA promotion - the Extreme Fighting Championship is set to confirm when they will host their first event post the deep levels of lockdown, however sources have confirmed that a December show might be on the cards.
For more details on PFC Amateur Fight Night - Rankings, visit the PFC Promotions facebook page and stay tuned for the full edited production of the event.
@juliankiewietz