'Magic' Madge claims EFC lightweight belt

Cape Town - Cape Town’s Don ‘Magic Man’ Madge pulled off a brilliant and shocking upset when he re-took the EFC Worldwide lightweight title at GrandWest Grand Arena on Saturday.

Madge faced American Dave ‘The Pain Train’ Mazany for his title. Mazany, based in Las Vegas at the home of one the world’s premiere fight teams, was undoubtedly the most well rounded and frightening athlete to have held the belt, and the toughest test of Madge’s career.

Madge entered the Hexagon the betting underdog, but stunned all with ice-cold focus in the first round. He absorbed pressure from Mazany’s highly developed clinch against the fence, and then re-entered the same clinch in the second round. This time, however, he went on to take Mazany’s back and sink a solid rear naked choke.

True to the legend of the ‘Pain Train’, Mazany refused to tap and instead sank unconscious to the canvas, gifting Madge the belt that he last held three years ago.

Supporting the main event was the clash between former bantamweight interim champion Irshaad ‘White Tiger’ Sayed and Tumisang ‘The President’ Madiba. The fight went as many expected, but the delivery was far more brutal.

Madiba came out steaming, smashing Sayed with repeated strikes to the face and body, putting him under intense pressure in the first round. Sayed rode the storm through exchanges on the feet and down on the canvas, and then delivered a text book, brutal hook to the liver, followed by a double tap left hook to the jaw that buckled Madiba’s knees.

Sayed immediately asked for another fight in June, stating ‘I want to stay active and lay down another win. That way no one can deny my right to Pena in December.’ The ‘White Tiger’ wants another shot at the champ.

Former EFC heavyweight champion Ruan ‘Fangzz’ Potts strode into the Hexagon to face the UK’s colossal Karl Etherington The canvas shook from the start, both men engaging with punches, moving into the clinch and an Etherington takedown. Potts reversed it on the floor, and then nailed his opponent’s head to the mat with piston-like elbows.

EFC heavyweight champion Andrew van Zyl is already scheduled to defend his title against undefeated rising star Wessel ‘Wess Express’ Mostert on 8 July in Sun City. Potts will be watching with interest, hoping to face the winner.

Sylvester Chipfumbu, riding a three-fight win streak, stepped up a level when he took on Abdul ‘Hollywood’ Hassan. He proved his right to stand with the EFC legend by stifling Hassan’s takedown attempts with dangerous kicks from range, and then landing a pistol shot of a straight right that dropped Hassan to the canvas. The undefeated Chipfumbu is now knocking on the champions’ door.

The night’s main card began with a classic clash of youth versus experience, when Cape Town’s 23-year old Shaun De Lange took on Johannesburg’s iconic Dino ‘The Lion’ Bagattin. The two battled each other into the darkness of exhaustion and beyond, landing mean strikes peppered with clubbing elbows throughout all three rounds.

The crowd awarded the warriors a standing round of applause between all three rounds, and would not sit down until De Lange was finally awarded the win by split-decision. It was a brutal and unforgettable battle, with Bagattin fighting on after fracturing his shin, ending his evening at a local hospital.

Fight of the Night was awarded to Dino Bagattin vs Shaun de Lange. Performance bonuses were awarded to Duane Jones, Irshaad Sayed and Tumisang Madiba

The official results EFC 58:

Faeez Jacobs defeated Jesse Fleming via TKO (punches) 3:02 in round 1.
Caleb Ridley defeated Kevin Pheko via submission (Triangle Choke) 1:28 in round 2.
Rodrique Kena defeated Duane Jones via submission (punches) in 4:30 round 2.
Aadam Grant defeated Claude Ntumba via submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 3:17 in round 1.
Gary Joshua defeated Jasen van der Merwe via submission (Guillotine Choke) 1:30 in round 1.
Deon Bruning defeated Regis Muyambo via TKO (Punches) 3:52 in round 2.
Shaun de Lange defeated Dino Bagattin via split decision.
Sylvester Chipfumbu defeated Abdul Hassan via TKO (Punches) 1:03 in round 2.
Ruan Potts defeated Karl Etherington via TKO (Punches) 2:33 in round 1.
Irshaad Sayed defeated Tumisang Madiba via TKO (Punches) 1:33 in round 2.
Don Madge defeated Dave Mazany via submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2:02 in round 2.