Cold. Calculated. Devastating. Asiashu Tshitamba’s unforgettable KO of Billy Oosthuizen at EFC 81.
Image: EFCWorldwide
PFL Africa have confirmed a major redemption bout of sorts for their first event of 2026, with the confirmation of two South Africans looking to improve on their last outings.
On April 10, 2026, the Professional Fighters League will kickstart its 2026 campaign at the SunBet Arena at Time Square, Menlyn Maine, Pretoria, in what promises to build on last year’s inaugural season, which saw the brand roll out its first African franchise.
The card will see athletes throw down in an attempt to secure the coveted $100 000 prize and Tournament Champion status in their respective brackets, a feat that could open bigger doors into the Professional Fighters League Regular Season where the world’s top athletes compete against each other.
Forming part of an action-packed 10-fight card, Mzansi’s Asiashu Tshitamba (6-5) and Shannon van Tonder (7-3) will step into the PFL Africa Smart Cage on April 10 in an attempt to restart careers that not too long ago were filled with promise and potential.
Both athletes have been tipped for lofty heights within mixed martial arts, however, neither has quite fulfilled the promise they showed early on in their careers.
Since making his EFC debut in June 2018, Tshitamba has shown pockets of greatness and star power with some ludicrous finishes inside the cage, none more so than against now current EFC Interim Featherweight Champion Billy Oosthuizen (10-6), which saw the former deliver an absolute humdinger of a teep kick right to the face of Oosthuizen, who was put out cold at EFC 81 in August 2019.
That win came off the back of a three-fight win streak, and that night’s delivery set the tone that the EFC was onto something spectacular as he booked his fourth victory in a row.
Sadly, inconsistency was the name of the game after that eventful show and Tshitamba just could not shift into fifth gear, going into a three-fight losing streak before producing a staggered set of results with two wins and one loss thereafter.
His latest loss came in his PFL Africa debut at the Grand Arena last year, where he walked away on the wrong side of a split decision against Karim Henniene (6-0) in a bout which saw him unable to showcase that electric striking through his incredible range and motion.
Opposite him will stand someone who is more prone to the grappling side of the beautiful sport in Van Tonder — a tough grappler who too will be smarting after his last loss, in which he might have underestimated both his opponent and the opportunity.
Van Tonder came into the PFL Africa draft as a hot prospect. From his amateur days, and with a solid and respectable coaching group around him, he showcased the hallmarks and skill to grow and was on a good trajectory.
Making his professional MMA debut, the man could do no wrong, riding a four-fight win streak and stopping all of his opponents — most of them being more experienced than him — in the first or second round.
After a tough three-round battle against the grizzled Musa Sethwape (5-7), he was unable to build a solid run again, mixing up three losses and three wins. That stretch includes his latest bout and PFL Africa debut, in which he was already on the back foot and failed to secure an advance to the next round of the Bantamweight Bracket after missing weight against DRC’s Boule Godogo (4-2), who secured the split decision result in front of the Cape Town crowd.
Both athletes will look to grab what could be their last opportunity within the PFL Africa franchise and step up to earn a shot at the Championship, following in their compatriot Nkosi Ndebele’s footsteps, who became the very first PFL Africa champion from South Africa.
Tshitamba and Van Tonder will be hungry to prove exactly who they are and what they are made of when they step into the PFL Africa Smart Cage in what could become a battle tipped in the old days of MMA as “a classic striker vs grappler” matchup.
The main event will see the return of the inaugural PFL Africa 2025 Bantamweight Tournament winner, Nkosi Ndebele (11–3), who will take on Italy’s Michele Clemente (7–1), an Oktagon MMA standout currently riding a five-fight win streak as he enters his first PFL Africa event.
South Africa’s heavyweight star Justin Clarke (4–1) will face Senegal’s Abdoullah Kane (5–1) in the co-main event of PFL Africa Season 2 in the country’s administrative capital.
The opening fight on the Pretoria card will see Uganda’s Annet “Rose” Kiiza (3–1) face Kenya’s Felista “The Young Queen” Mugo (5–2–1) in a Women’s Strawweight Showcase bout set to kick off a jam-packed fight card.
Another fight which has been confirmed and is getting tongues wagging is the second Women’s Strawweight Showcase between Nigeria’s Jane “The Slayer” Osigwe (5-3) and compatriot Juliet “Golden Bones” Ukah (8-0) in what promises to set the roof off and is worthy of main-event status.
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, and you can stay tuned to PFL Africa and MzansiMMA social media pages for more updates.
IOL Sport