A proud nations of champions . . . Chipfumbu wins EFC bantamweight title
The Gladiator, Sylvester Chipfumbu, was crowned the Extreme Fighting Championship new bantamweight champion after his superb victory in South Africa at the weekend.
The Gweru-born fighter wrestled the title from South African, Faeez Jacobs, in a five-round grueling mixed martial arts contest at the EFC Performance Institute in Johannesburg.
The fight ended in a unanimous decision 48-47, 50-45, 49-46 in favour of the Zimbabwean.
Chipfumbu, who dominated Jacobs to become the new EFC 135-pound division champion, was excited by his exploits on the night.
He lived to his pre-tournament word that he was going to the next bantamweight champion.
“As I said before, once I put my hand on the belt, no one is going to take it from me,” he shouted on the microphone, after the fight.
Chipfumbu’s victory was the icing on the cake as EFC returned for the first time, after a 14-month hiatus, with explosive action from start to end.
The first round saw him make good inroads with his striking, rocking Jacobs for a moment.
But, the South African landed a more significant blow which got Chipfumbu down and almost ended the fight.
However, the 26-year old Zimbabwean handled the pressure well as Jacobs tried to finish the job while the contender showed composure on his back, subduing any threats.
Chipfumbu slowly titled the match in his favour in the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds.
He was on the ascendancy, with no intention of stopping, as he controlled the exchanges and range with takedown after takedown, and superior grappling.
He had in his corner another Zimbabwean and EFC welterweight champion, Themba Gorimbo, who is his trainer.
He also had EFC Bantamweight champion, Demarte Pena, among his support staff.
The game plan they brought, and the hours of grind they put in to mould Chipfumbu into the complete athlete, paid off.
He now holds a 7-3-0 record – one win by submission, two by knockout and four victories by decision.
Chipfumbu, who became only the second Zimbabwean EFC champion, after Gorimbo, is now angling for the more lucrative Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is based in the US.
“Where I come from, a man doesn’t get a second chance. I am going to show you why I am the new champion, no doubt,” he said before Saturday night’s bout.
Other results:
Fight 1: Middleweight: Zika Magengele beat JT Botha via TKO (ref stoppage due to strikes).
Fight 2: Women’s Flyweight: Ceileigh Niedermayr beat Christine Wolmarans via rear-naked choke.
Fight 3: Bantamweight: Cameron Saaiman beat Billy Oostuhuzen via rear-naked choke.
Fight 4: Lightweight: Cole Henning beat Serge Kasanda via unanimous decision.
Fight 5: Middleweight: Diego Bandu beat Stefan Pretorius via KO.
Fight 6: Featherweight: Nerik Simoes beat Claude Ntumba via KO.
Fight 7: Bantamweight: Asiashu Tshitamba lost to Sindile Manengela via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28).
Fight 8: Flyweight: Nkazimulo Zulu beat Fafa Dwama via triangle choke.
Fight 9: Middleweight: Martin van Staden beat Pietie Coxen via rear-naked choke.
Fight 10: Lightweight: Boyd Allen beat Bruno Mukulu via unanimous decision. The Herald
