Photo source: PFL

The League of Professional Warriors officially revealed the opening fight card PFL Africa Season 2which will start April 10, 2026 on Arena Sunbet IN Pretoria.

The event marks the official kickoff to the organization’s second African season and continues PFL’s efforts to showcase the continent’s rising MMA stars on the international stage.

Fans around the world will be able to watch the event through a number of broadcast partners, including Supersport for coverage in English, Channel+ for the French audience and PFL application for viewers in the United States.

The fight between Nkosi Ndebele and Michele Clemente is the main topic of the bantamweight gala

The main event of the evening will include: Mr Ndebele will face Italy Michele Clemente in a bantamweight exhibition fight that opens the recent season with high stakes.

Ndebele enters the competition as 2025 PFL African Bantamweight Champion and will compete in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd in Pretoria. The South African international is looking to extend his undefeated record in the PFL cage after winning the title at last year’s finals.

Meanwhile, Clemente arrives with some grave momentum. The Italian competitor goes to, among others, five-game winning streakpresenting a balanced style that combines acute striking with effective grappling.

This matchup sets the tone for the recent season, pairing a proven champion with an emerging international contender, and this clash could shape the bantamweight landscape as PFL Africa Season 2 begins.

PFL continues to expand MMA in Africa

The launch of the second season of PFL Africa is another step in the organization’s global expansion strategy.

The League of Professional Warriors has invested heavily in regional leagues designed to highlight emerging talent and create recent pathways for players to reach the international stage.

With events now spanning multiple continents, PFL Africa has quickly become one of the most critical platforms for African mixed martial artists seeking global recognition.

The April 10 event in Pretoria is expected to showcase some of the continent’s most promising athletes while boosting the momentum of MMA across Africa.

Location: SunBet Arena – Pretoria

Main Card

• Bantamweight show: Nkosi Ndebele (11-3) vs. Michele Clemente (7-1)
• Heavyweight Showcase: Justin Clarke (4-1) vs. Abdoulaye Kane (5-1)
• Welterweight Tournament: Yabna N’Tchala (14-2, 1 NC) vs. Peace Nguphane (8-3)
• Welterweight Tournament: Shido Boris Esperança (11-2) vs. Emilios Dassi (5-2)
• Welterweight Tournament: Eliezer Kubanza (8-1) vs. Kunle Lawal (3-1)
• Women’s strawweight show: Juliet Ukah (8-0) vs. Jane Osigwe (5-3)

Additional attacks

• Welterweight Tournament: Abdelrahman Mohammad (5-0) vs David Samuel (4-0)
• Lightweight show: Abdoul Razac Sankara (7-5) vs. Áureo Cruz (3-0)
• Featherweight show: Jean-Jacques Lubaya (9-2) vs. Shadrack Dju Yemba (5-1)
• Bantamweight show: Shannon van Tonder (7-3) vs. Asiashu Tshitamba (6-5)
• Women’s strawweight show: Felista-Mutheu Mugo (5-2-1) vs. Annet Kiiza (3-1)

(Photo: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)

The The ultimate fighting championship returns to Newark with a massive middleweight title fight as champion Khamzat Chimaev defends the belt in a fight against the former champion Sean Strickland.

The fight will be the main event UFC 328taking place May 9 on Prudential Center.

The main event card will be broadcast live Most significant+ beginning of o 21:00 ET / 18:00 PTand the qualifying rounds start earlier in the evening.

It will mark it The 12th UFC event held at the Prudential Center since the promotion first visited the arena in 2007.

Khamzat Chimaev wants to extend his undefeated streak

Chimaev (15-0) enters the fight as one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.

Fighting from the United Arab Emirates through Chechnya, the undefeated champion has built a reputation for relentless pressure and elite grappling.

Chimaev already has impressive wins over former champions Dricus du Plessis, Robert WhittakerAND Kamaru Usman.

Now he hopes to begin a dominant title reign by handing Strickland another defeat.

Sean Strickland wants his belt back

Strickland (30-7) is determined to regain the championship he once held.

Outspoken contender from Crown he is known for his constant pressure and high-volume hitting style.

Strickland has notable wins over the likes of Israel Adesanya, Antoni HernandezAND Nassourdine Imawow.

A victory over Chimaev would advance him two-time UFC middleweight champion.

Heavyweight clash: Volkov vs. Cortes Acosta

In the co-main event, the heavyweight contenders will clash as they are ranked No. 2 Alexander Volkov faces no. 4 Waldo Cortes Acosta.

Volkov (39-11) wants to gain momentum after the victory over Liverpool Almeida Prison. The experienced striker also has victories to his credit Sergei Pavlovich, Pacific OceanAND Alexander Romanov.

Meanwhile, Cortes Acosta (17-2) is chasing his own fourth consecutive knockout victory. The Dominican heavyweight completed his highlights Derrick Lewis, Shamil GazievAND Ante Delija.

Key fights added to the UFC 328 card

The Newark card also features several high-profile fights across multiple divisions.

Welterweight rivals Sean Brady AND Joaquin Buckley compete in a Ranked Battle that could bring the winner closer to competing for the title.

Former lithe heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz he will also return to the octagon for a rematch Bogdan Guskowa.

In the clash of long-time veterans, King Green meets Jeremy Stephens in a lithe duel.

Elsewhere on the card, a middleweight prospect Atebe Gautier faces Ozzy Diaz.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — ENABLE financial technologies announced today two major events that highlight its long-term vision for behavioral trading in sports, music and culture. The company has appointed Efrain “DJ Mode” Mercedamusic director for Fresh York Football Clubits advisory board while launching Fan-funded seriesa first-of-its-kind trade activation model designed to transform community support into true economic capital for athletes, amateur athletes, independent musicians and emerging artists.

The double announcement highlights TURN-ON’s core philosophy: sports and music have always connected culture, and now they can also transfer capital.

DJ Mode Merced joins TURN-ON’s advisory board

Merced brings over two decades of experience as a cultural strategist and sonic architect in the global entertainment industry. His clients include brands such as: Cadillac, Pepsiand major sporting events such as USA Tennis Open Championships.

As music director for Fresh York Football ClubMerced designs the club’s entire sonic identity on match day, shaping the atmosphere for thousands of fans from the moment they enter the stadium until the final whistle.

His role at TURN-ON goes far beyond an honorary title. Merced will facilitate develop the platform’s sonic identity, experiential activation framework and cultural architecture to ensure that every interaction in the ecosystem reflects the emotional connection that fans experience at live sporting and music events.

Stadiums are filled with sports. Music fills the same stadiums. TURN-ON builds financial infrastructure for the same communities that power both.

“TURN-ON exists to change the way people participate in the economy of shared moments, enabling culture, connections and values ​​to move together. Music and sports have always lived at this intersection. Now financial infrastructure can do so, too.”
Efrain DJ Mode Merced / Advisory Board / TURN-ON Financial Technologies

Merced emphasized that culture, not technology, ultimately determines the success of platforms.

“Most people focus on technology first, but the real driver of a recent category is culture. If there’s no cultural moment, technology doesn’t matter. The key is to build something that feels natural to how people already connect with music and sound, and then reinforce that experience, rather than forcing an entirely recent behavior.”
Efrain DJ Mode Merced / Advisory Board / TURN-ON Financial Technologies

Where sports, music and commerce intersect

The TURN-ON strategy focuses on the shared economic reality between athletes and artists at the local level.

Martial arts athletes often train without endorsement contracts. Independent musicians tour on minimal budgets. Teenage athletes rely on families and local communities to cover travel, equipment and competition costs. Artists and visual creators often build devoted audiences without access to the financial infrastructure to support their development.

In each case, social support already exists, but the tools to transform this support into real economic support have traditionally been confined.

The Fan-funded series aims to solve this problem.

The founder’s perspective

CEO of TURN-ON Thomas Yu brings extensive experience in global combat sports management. Yu previously served as president of the Pan American Division World Association of Mixed Martial Arts and co-founder World Confederation of Mixed Martial Artshelping to create the infrastructure of MMA federations in Latin America.

Yu says the fan-funded series was created directly from his experience seeing athletes struggle to finance their careers.

“There are many things that TV and social media never show. Sleepless nights. Figuring out how to pay for proper training, proper equipment and proper nutrition. The stress this puts on parents, family, uncles, aunts and grandparents who want to facilitate but have confined resources. As a former president of the WMMAA Pan American Division, I can tell you that national aid for a selected national team will never be enough. In fact, even after athletes are selected to represent their country, they still have fundraisers money to supplement their trip. The Fan Funded Series eliminates this problem. Our programmable gifting tool provides peace of mind like nothing else.
Tomas Yu / CEO / TURN-ON Financial Technologies

Yu also explained why the company brought Merced on to the advisory board at this stage of the platform’s development.

“TURN-ON is not your typical fintech platform. We are disrupting the paradigm. Culture is not a marketing layer for us, it is at the core of what we build. Yes, money moves people. But so does pop culture. And music has, since the beginning of time, moved the masses in a way that nothing else can. Like sports, music is part of culture and together we can make a much greater impact. Coming from the heart of culture, Fresh York, Efrain lives and breathes this world. No I couldn’t think of anyone better to bring on board to facilitate lead the disruption and make sure the disruption reaches the players, athletes, musicians and artists who have been waiting for it.
Tomas Yu / CEO / TURN-ON Financial Technologies

How a fan-funded series works

The Fan Funded Series enables supporters – fans, family members, coaches and community members – to send financial support through the TURN-ON platform using programmable gifting technology.

Once sent, the funds appear in your digital wallet connected to the TURN-ON trading network. Recipients can spend instantly at participating local businesses, including:

• Gyms and training facilities
• Restaurants and food service providers
• Regeneration and wellness centers
• Hardware dealers
• Recording studios or innovative production spaces

Merchants only collect 0-2% handling feeswhile TURN-ON does not take a percentage of the transferred capital.

The result is direct economic participation, not symbolic support.

Broadcasters can also determine how their contribution should be used – whether for training, travel, equipment, studio time or recovery – ensuring transparency between fans and audiences.

Who does a fan-funded series serve?

Fan-funded fighters

Combat sports athletes in MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu – from the amateur circuit to international competition – who have sturdy fan communities but confined financial infrastructure.

Athletes financed by fans

Youth teams and independent players whose families traditionally rely on local fundraising to cover the costs of participation.

Musicians financed by fans

Independent artists and touring musicians who want a direct community support channel without platform commissions.

Fan-funded artists and creators

Visual artists, filmmakers, photographers and digital creators whose communities want to invest in their work and development.

Latin America as a strategic starting point

TURN-ON’s established relationships in Latin American MMA federations provide a direct path for expansion in one of the most passionate but under-funded sports markets in the world.

Yu says these connections give the company a significant advantage when bringing a fan-funded series to market.

“Latin America is not a market we’re trying to enter. It’s a home-field advantage. We already have relationships. We already have trust. We’re providing infrastructure to communities that have had passion for decades but never had the financial tools.”
Tomas Yu / CEO / TURN-ON Financial Technologies

Launch timeline and partnership opportunities

The TURN-ON function is currently enabled pre-start phasebased in Albuquerque, Fresh Mexico, based in Albuquerque, Fresh Mexico Scheduled to launch in the Southwest U.S. in summer 2026.

We encourage combat sports promoters, federation leaders, athlete managers, gym owners, music industry professionals and the artistic community interested in participating in the Fan Funded Series activation to contact the company in connection with the development of its network.