The recent WKS Africa 3 tournament, held at the Sunningdale Sports Complex in Milnerton, Cape Town, presented an exciting program of 13 bouts. Although the main focus was on athlete development, many believe this tournament was the best in the promotion's history.
At the event, spectators, officials, coaches, and local communities had the opportunity to witness the future of the sport, as several participants debuted in kickboxing or stepped into the ring for the second or third time.
Before the event, WKS Africa director Wade Hammond emphasized his goal: 'to focus on grassroots talent and create opportunities for newcomers to demonstrate their potential.' This goal was achieved, as hundreds of fans and family members came to support their fighters and clubs.
Hammond added that his long-standing objective is to develop K-1 sports from the beginning, so for this event, he decided to emphasize amateurs with minimal experience, giving them a chance to gain experience and showcase themselves.
Despite the evening not featuring a large number of technical knockouts (TKO) or knockouts (KO), the audience's reaction demonstrated a high level of energy and appreciation from the fans, who reacted to every punch, defense, jab, kick, roundhouse, swipe, and hook.
This served as an excellent testament to the growth of the sport and also showed the awareness and passion of the engaged audience, which closely followed every bout. As the athletes fought, demonstrating full commitment, those present could hear encouragement and even participate in 'judging' if they disagreed with the referee in the center of the ring.
It was a special day for the clubs The TroubleMakers, Infinite MMA, and Triple Threat Dojo, all of which secured victories in their respective fights.
Faiez Jacobs' team, a two-time EFC champion and gym owner, won five out of five bouts, as the army of The TroubleMakers attended in full force to support their gladiators representing the Plumstead gym.
In the first fight of the evening, Lyle Peters from TroubleMakers and Chloe Solomon from Sparrthais demonstrated maturity and skill in their junior women's weight class under 60kg hard contact bout. Despite both athletes being only 14 years old, they showed incredible talent and fighting intelligence, demonstrating an understanding of distance management and counterattacks, as well as the ability to increase intensity at the right moment. In the end, Peters won by unanimous decision in a fight that many considered a strong contender for Fight Night.
Peters' teammates continued the successful streak: Seth Monghoho, Ibrahim Akerman, Lee Konradi, and Charnley Moyo also secured victories, ensuring a clean sweep for the Plumstead gym, which continues to produce bright promising athletes in combat sports.
Infinite MMA also achieved victories in both of its bouts, making the evening particularly memorable for Mila Mangaliso and Francois Labushany. In addition to the wins, both fighters were able to share their experiences and talk about how participation in combat sports played a significant role in improving their lives, lifestyle, and overall health.
Triple Threat Dojo, based in Rondebosch, known for its danger and respect, returned to Cape Town and performed successfully, as often happened, securing victories in both the early preliminary fights and the co-main event.
Lian van Zyl defeated Dale Maurice by unanimous decision (UD), and Chloe Assad won by split decision against talented Zoe Klassen from Camp Fight. Assad demonstrated impressive footwork, movement, and distance control, which allowed her to disrupt her opponent's rhythm, who struggled to find the pace to deploy powerful roundhouse and side kicks that were heard during the pre-fight warm-up.
Assad's deceptive approach allowed her to thoroughly study Klassen before she started deploying her strikes and counters, moving in and out of range, as well as laterally, to prevent the opponent from settling into a rhythm.
The main event featured WKS Lightweight Grand Prix champion Moyo and David Matasvu from Vipers Gym, concluding the evening with a tense battle. Their very close fight prompted fans to demand a rematch, possibly for the title, after Moyo's split decision victory.
Details about the tournament can be found on the MzansiMMA pages on Instagram and Facebook.
Full list of WKS Africa 3 fights
Lightweight, Pro-Am: Charnley Moyo defeated David Matasvu by split decision (SD) after three rounds.
Welterweight, Pro-Am: Chloe Assad defeated Zoe Klassen by split decision after three rounds.
Flyweight, Amateur: Lee Konradi beat Tiana Muchenze by unanimous decision (UD).
Lightweight, Amateur: James Hayward defeated Shannon Mbanje by technical knockout (TKO) in the third round.
Preliminary Round
Junior Male Weight Class, Amateur: Hamza Muneimn defeated Jose Grigio by split decision (SD).
Featherweight, Amateur: Ibrahim Akerman defeated Seth Pascualle by unanimous decision (UD) after three rounds.
Middleweight, Amateur: Favaaz Davids defeated Ruben Bot by technical knockout (TKO).
Welterweight, Amateur: Riley Mare defeated Adib Isaac by technical knockout (TKO).
Early Preliminary Round
Featherweight (63kg), Amateur: Seth Monghoho defeated Lizo Ntloko by split decision (SD) after three rounds.
Welterweight, Amateur: Francois Labushany defeated Eric Bender by unanimous decision (UD) after three rounds.
Teenagers up to 56kg, Hard Contact, Amateur: Lian van Zyl defeated Dale Maurice by unanimous decision (UD) after three rounds.
Welterweight, Amateur: Mila Mangaliso defeated McDonald Magarambombe by split decision after three rounds.
Junior Female Category up to 60kg, Hard Contact, Amateur: Lyle Peters defeated Chloe Solomon by unanimous decision (UD) after three rounds.