Benin Republic’s Jean the panther dos Santos has emerged as the champion of the first ever light weight title of the African Knockout championship put together by universal fighting championship legend in the making Karamu Usman.
The panther defeated Nigeria’s Baba Jibril also known as black venom via technical knockout to record his second defeat of the Nigerian fighter.
Despite confident words at the weigh-in, Jibril had no answer inside the cage, as Dos Santos needed just five seconds to seal the win via technical knockout.
The Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola Stadium was electric, with fans on their feet—and dignitaries, including the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko in attendance.
The undercard bouts didn’t disappoint either.
In the women’s bantamweight division, Nigeria’s Jane “The Slayer” Osigwe earned a hard-fought unanimous decision over Morocco’s Sanna Mandar—taking her record to five wins in eight bouts.
Osigwe celebrated her win with trademark dance moves, much to the delight of the fans.
Joy Obanla also showed grit and resilience, fighting through injury to defeat Nelson Ufot by technical knockout.
And in a dramatic finish, Lewis “The Porcupine” Mataya overcame Côte d’Ivoire’s Miezan Prince in a thrilling contest.
The Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, praised the organisation of the championship, expressing hope that the African Knockout Challenge would continue to grow and provide a platform for emerging talents across the continent.
From fast knockouts to fearless performances, the African Knockout Challenge has delivered action, excitement and a new chapter for African combat sports.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
