Roets, Botha set to lock horns at EFC 77

Cape Town - EFC featherweight contender Roedie Roets and former title challenger Pierre Botha will get to lock horns after all.

The promotion has re-booked the wrestling standouts for a preliminary-card bout at EFC 77 at Time Square in Pretoria on March 16.

Roets (5-0) was initially meant to face Botha (9-7) at EFC 74 in September 2018, but he suffered a concussion in training and could not compete.

Roets later extended his perfect record by submitting judo black belt Sindile Manengela (4-6) with a third-round rear-naked choke in December.

Botha likewise has his tail up after rebounding from a loss to late-notice opponent Tshilumba Mikixi (3-0) with a unanimous decision win over Angolan Nerki Simoes (2-2) in October.

The EFC also confirmed to mmaengage.com that Roets’s Coach Quan University team-mates Alain ‘Commanda Boy’ Ilunga (11-5) and Devon Cronje (3-1) will fight in the organisation's first event of 2019 next month.

Ilunga will make his long-awaited return to the hexagon against Poland’s Lukasz Swirydowicz (4-4) on the main card, while Cronje will meet bantamweight fan-favourite Tumisang Madiba (8-6) in the prelims.

Ilunga (11-5) is riding a six-fight winning streak, but his path towards the lightweight belt is not a straightforward one as he is teammates with ex-champ Martin van Staden (26-11), who will battle Englishman Joe Cummins (5-1) for the vacant strap in the EFC 77 headliner.

‘Commanda Boy’, a one-time featherweight title challenger, previously beat DR Congo compatriot Anicet Kanyeba (9-9) via unanimous decision in July 2017.

His next opponent Swirydowicz (4-4), who trains with Cummins, will be making his debut in the promotion.

‘Swiry’ has alternated wins and losses in his professional career, having last submitted Ant Davies (3-4) with a first-round guillotine choke in Bolton in November 2018.

Meanwhile, Cronje and Madiba are both coming off victories achieved in December.

Cronje submitted Mozambique’s Orlando Machaba (0-1) for a second successive first-round win on the same night that Madiba snapped a three-fight skid by handing Billy Oosthuizen (3-1) his first loss with a third-round TKO.

Other fights booked for EFC 77 include Shaw Dean (4-0) against Quinton Rossouw (2-0) and Neil du Plessis (3-1) versus Gordon Roodman (3-6-1).