Steyn gears up to make MMA history as PFL Africa lands in Joburg

As the world’s fastest growing MMA tournament lands in the City of Gold, Pretoria local Elbert “Pikachu” Steyn is ready to make history in front of a sold-out home crowd on Saturday.

PFL Africa will host its second ever event in Johannesburg, following a sold-out debut in Cape Town in July.

This will see Steyn step into the PFL SmartCage for a first-round featherweight bout against Morocco’s Abderrahman Errachidy in the Big Top Arena at Carnival City, Brakpan.

The 25-year-old fighter is the only South African on the card, which features 20 of the best featherweights and welterweights on the continent. Steyn will be looking to extend his unbeaten professional record (3-0) against Errachidy and secure his place in the PFL Africa semifinals in the process.

Speaking at the official PFL Africa: Johannesburg Media Event hosted at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, Steyn highlighted the importance the crowd will play in his fight.

“PFL Africa is definitely a history making event and everyone there on Saturday is going to be part of history. I am super excited to be there and I know the crowd is going to absolutely bring it. \

"I have also got a lot of supporters, and I am going to carry them on my back. That pressure helps shape and motivate me, so I love to have that support and deal with the pressure it brings.”

Nigeria’s Patrick Ocheme, who will take on Mohamed Camara from Guinea in the main event, emphasised the importance of PFL Africa in providing a platform to local fighters.

“There are a lot of guys who are constantly training, just waiting for the opportunity to show the world what they can actually do. PFL Africa provides that opportunity to showcase our talents on a global stage.”

Steyn described taking part in an event of the magnitude of the PFL in South Africa as “a dream come true”, saying “I never thought I would do PFL in South Africa. I always knew I’d make it to the big stage eventually, but I didn’t think that would be locally, so that’s a shocker for me.”

In total, 32 fighters representing 15 African nations will compete across the four PFL Africa divisions in 2025, as the league embarks on a continent wide journey to crown the first-ever PFL Africa Champions.

Fight fans can catch the action live on Saturday night. Tickets can be purchased from TicketPro