Reigning bantamweight champion Demarte Pena (left) faces off with interim bantamweight champion Irshaad Sayed (right) at the official EFC 55 weigh-in.
Cape Town, South Africa – On Friday 11 November the most prolific champion in EFC history, reigning bantamweight title holder Demarte ‘The Wolf’ Pena, will clash with the current interim EFC bantamweight and former world Muay Thai champion Irshaad ‘White Tiger’ Sayed. The fight has grown into the biggest in the organisation’s history. Today the two hit the scales and faced off in an unprecedented pre-fight showdown.
Hosted at the GrandWest Casino, Sayed mercilessly baited Pena, the undefeated two division champion. Sayed stunned the crowd by appearing in a Spiderman suit, and thereafter proceeded to fire string out of a compressed air container at Pena.
Emotions reached boiling point as the two then faced each other, with Sayed peeling off his mask before yelling at the stony-faced Pena.
“I fight for my life, he fights for popularity,” said a cold Pena after. “I fight to enjoy myself,” Sayed replied. “I will finish this fight.”
Pena is known for a strategic and wrestling based strategy, relying on stifling his opponents to win by decision. Sayed on the other hand thrives on a ‘risk it all’ approach. Both are motivated like never before to put a beating on the other. Fans are in for spectacle of revenge tomorrow night.
At EFC 55 the lightweight title is also on the line, when the American Dave ‘The Pain Train’ Mazany defends his belt for the first time. Originally scheduled to fight Cape Town’s Don Madge, an injury has spun the fight into a rematch between Mazany and the man he took the belt from, former dominant champion Lion ‘Iron Lion’ Mynhardt.
After successfully making weight both athletes declared their intention to give the crowd exactly what they want – a full throttle clash between two warriors that have already tested each other’s mettle and now know where to press.
“I’m bringing a powerful fight,” said Mynhardt. “I’ve realised what I lost, I’m more focused than ever.”
“When I fight I make them fight my game,” declared the champion on the topic of the short notice change. “I’m ready to fight anybody.”
Also on the main card, rising star Cameron Pritchard takes on the legendary former welterweight champion Dino ‘The Lion’ Bagattin. Pritchard has everything to fight for, with a title fight his reward for a victory. Bagattin is supremely fired up, and the two had to be separated by security as they faced off.
Plus, two former heavyweight champions collide when Ruan ‘Fangzz’ Potts faces Brendon Groenewald and former title contender Francois ‘Franaconda’ Groenewald will tangle Baldwin Mdlalose, who is in search of redemption from his recent title fight loss.
All athletes made their correct weights. The official EFC 55 weigh-in results were as follows:
Fight 1: Catchweight
Gary Joshua 63.00kg
Lourens Botes 63.00kg
Fight 2: Welterweight
Mutuale Basambolo 77.00kg
Niel du Plessis 77.00kg
Fight 3: Lightweight
Tyson Chelin 69.80kg
Regis Muyambo 69.80kg
Fight 4: Catchweight
Guy Mongambi 59.00kg
Sylvester Chipfumbu 58.7kg
Fight 5: Lightweight
Sibusiso Mdoko 69.85kg
Wesley Hawkey 69.6kg
Fight 6: Welterweight
Dino Bagattin 76.80kg
Cameron Pritchard 77.00kg
Fight 7: Bantamweight
Francois Groenewald 60.80kg
Baldwin Mdlalose 61.00kg
Fight 8: Heavyweight
Brendon Groenewald 109.00kg
Ruan Potts 118.95kg
Fight 9: Lightweight Title Fight
Leon Mynhardt 69.50kg
Dave Mazany 69.90kg
Fight 10: Bantamweight Title Fight
Irshaad Sayed 60.80kg
Demarte Pena 60.90kg
EFC 55: Pena vs Sayed, Mazany vs Madge presented by SUPABETS, takes place on Friday 11 November 2016 at GrandWest, Cape Town. Tickets are on sale now at www.computicket.com, and the 5 main card bouts will be broadcast live on kwesesports.com (Sub-Saharan Africa) and Kwesé Free Sports (Kenya & Rwanda) starting at 20:00 (CAT) and delayed live e.tv (South Africa after the 20:30 (CAT) movie. Full broadcast details available on www.efcworldwide.com.