South Africa-born mixed martial artist Igeu Kabesa will kick off a new season and campaign in getting that elusive Ultimate Fighting Championship contract at EFC86 this weekend.
The Extreme Fighting Championship featherweight king returns to the hexagon on Saturday for the first time in over two years to defend his title against Brazil’s Reinaldo Ekson (15-4).
The Democratic Republic of Congo-rooted Igeu has been nothing short of sensational since making his debut in the EFC, losing only once (at EFC57) to now UFC-signed athlete Danny Henry from Scotland.
ALSO READ: Charles Oliveira 'lion of lions' KOs Michael Chandler to win UFC lightweight belt
Prior to and following that bout, Igeu has been unstoppable, racking up a record of 12-1.
It is well-known in all corners of the MMA community that Igeu has long deserved a shot at a bigger promotion following his impressive exploits.
EFC vice president and matchmaker Graeme Cartmell has had to search far and wide for talent to challenge Igeu.
At one stage, there were whispers of the athlete preparing to return to his bread and butter (competitive wrestling) due to the lack of opportunities on the MMA landscape.
Analysts and fans across the globe have long praised Igeu. With all due respect, there are lots of athletes being signed to the big MMA promotions whom Igeu can match and more. It is just unclear as to what the issue is?
ALSO READ: Conor McGregor tops list of highest-paid athletes in the world over past year
Two months ago, the frustration seemed to have clung onto Igeu as he took to Instagram posting a picture of him beating Croatia’s Karlo Caput at EFC79.
The caption was a long one, but basically he amplified the stresses of being without competition, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
ALSO READ: Sylvester Chipfumbu shows composure to win EFC bantamweight title
He spoke of being the number one-ranked SA MMA fighter (in the featherweight and lightweight divisions) on the well-known combat sport database, Tapology.
“I am sick and tired of being overlooked in this sport and I call on the @efcworldwide to match me up with a worthy contender and put some respect on my name,” Igeu said before calling out either EFC bantamweight champion Sylvester Chipfumbu, Boyd Allen or Martin van Staden, who were all victorious at EFC85.
Igue then went further to callout EFC lightweight champion, England’s Joe Cummins.
Until any of those match-ups take place, Igeu’s immediate assignment is a highly-experienced Brazilian warrior who made his successful
EFC debut, and claiming his fourth straight win, against SA’s Tumisang Madiba at EFC79.
@JulianKieweitz
IOL Sport