Johannesburg, South Africa – With one day to go to EFC 53, EFC debutant Theo Mbaya has failed his pre-medical tests and has not been allowed to compete. Stepping up on late notice sees South Africa’s Pieter ‘Wolfman’ de Klerk face DRC’s Claude ‘Solo’ Ntumba in the opening bout of the EFC53 prelims.

“While it is always upsetting to lose a bout on a card,” stated EFC President Cairo Howarth. He added, “However, safety of our athletes is our number one concern. This demonstrates the need for our stringent medical and safety protocols. Protocols we have put in place and we are proud of. Best of luck to all the athletes weighing-in later today.”

Catch all the excitement and action from the weigh-in live from the Carnival City or watch it live on www.kwesesports.com and Fight Sports at 14:00 (CAT).

This fight takes place on the prelim card ahead of the action packed UK vs RSA five fight main card.

EFC 53: Bahati vs Opperman is presented by SUPABETS, and takes place on Friday 2 September 2016 at Carnival City, Johannesburg. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.computicket.com, and the 5 main card bouts will be broadcast live on http://kwesesports.com (Sub-Saharan Africa) and Kwesé Free Sports (Kenya) starting at 20:00 (CAT) and delayed live on e.tv (South Africa) after the 20:30 (CAT) movie.