Johannesburg (South Africa) – The fight for the EFC AFRICA heavyweight title is almost upon us and everyone is wondering whether Norman ‘Chef’ Wessels or Ruan ‘Fangzz’ Potts will walk out of the hexagon with the belt.

A number of EFC AFRICA athletes were eager to give their professional opinions on the title fight as well as the evening’s two additional main card bouts. To find out how these three epic encounters end, don’t miss EFC AFRICA on 30 June at the Coca-Cola Dome.

Below are some of the thoughts and predictions for the main event fights WESSELS vs. POTTS, SMITH vs. CLELAND and GLOSS vs. WEYER

DINO BAGATTIN, EFC AFRICA welterweight
Predictions: Potts, Gloss, Smith

“Of Ruan Potts’ two EFC fights so far I’ve only seen the one. He definitely looks the part, but Chef is very good tactically. This is the toughest fight to call. I’m going with Chef. He’s the champ but…no, hang on.. Ruan Potts is pure brute force and… This is really difficult! Chef won his title brilliantly and always has a great game plan but I’m an underdog man, so I’m going with Ruan Potts, final answer.

“I haven’t really seen Charlie in action but I have worked with him in the gym before. I know he has very good boxing but I’m putting my money on Leo, purely because he has more cage time.”

“I’ve spent time training with Jeremy Smith in the past and recently we did a bit of sparring in preparation for my fight against Juan Lubbe. If Jeremy comes at you trying to take you head off, there’s not much you can do to stop him. I think Jeremy has come a long way since he last fought Liam, this time he has a ground game, and he’s won two big fights overseas as well as a fight against a tough international opponent here in SA, so I’m going with Jeremy.”

ALEX CHEBOUB, EFC AFRICA lightweight contender
Predictions: Potts, Weyer, Smith

“I think Ruan Potts is going to win by 2nd round TKO. You can’t count Wessels out, but Ruan is an incredible athlete, more of a natural heavyweight and more experienced. Also, his submissions and ground game are top notch, probably second only to Rico Hattingh’s.”

“This is a tough one but I’m going with Charlie Weyer. Although Leo’s been training on the ground I think Charlie will be better there and, from what I’ve heard, Charlie is actually a better technical boxer. We’ve never seen Charlie fight before and we know Leo has heart and stamina so it’s probably going to be close, I say three rounds, split decision in favour of Weyer.”

“This is a really tough call to make. I can’t give a decent prediction on how it will end but I see it going the distance. I think Jeremy will take it. Liam can beat him but Jeremy has improved a lot and is in top condition. I’m just not sure if Liam is conditioned enough to keep up.”

DEMARTE PENA, EFC AFRICA featherweight contender
Predictions: Potts, Gloss, Smith

“I have the greatest respect for Chef, but looking at overall experience and martial arts background, I have Potts winning the belt!”

“It’s hard to predict Leo vs. Charlie, but depending on where the fight takes place and if it turns out to be a stand up war, which I think it will, my money goes to Leo! In turn, we haven’t seen Charlie’s ground game, he may just submit Leo. Stand up: Leo! Ground: Charlie!”

“The Pitbull is sure to avenge his loss, he seems hungry enough and I believe he’ll take it.”

JOSH MULLER, EFC AFRICA welterweight
Predictions: Potts, Weyer, Smith

“In terms of pure size you gotta say Ruan Potts has the clear advantage. It’s an interesting fight and Norman will need to keep his distance and be elusive. I think that if Ruan catches him early it will be a short night. I pick Ruan by TKO. They are both awesome fighters but we’re talking about a heavyweight vs a guy pretending to be a heavyweight. An awesome fight!”

“This is a pick ’em fight. Both guys have awesome boxing skills and if the fight stays standing it’s seriously a toss-up, but coming from the FFM camp, Charlie is going to have a far better ground game. I think that Charlie is going to have too much for Leo all round. Charlie by ground and pound or submission. Should be a great fight either way though, I can’t wait!”

“This is a much closer fight than it looks on paper. Liam is a beast on the ground and he has a win over Jeremy. However, I can’t see him winning this fight; Jeremy has too much experience and has improved in all aspects of his game. I think Jeremy will have too much for him, although if it goes to the ground Jeremy could be in big trouble. Smith by (T)KO.”