PFL Africa 2026 Semi-Finals: All the fights set for Morocco

PFL Africa is heading to North Africa for the first time, and the promotion will be delivering the semi-finals of the 2026 tournament.

PFL Africa Arrives in Casablanca, Morocco

On Saturday, October 10, 2026, PFL Africa heads to the Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca, Morocco for the first time. The card will feature six tournament semi-final match-ups across three divisions, as well as a showcase main event bout in the heavyweight division. That main event will see Senegal's Abdoulaye Kane take on Morocco's own Badr 'Dastan' Medkouri.

The 2026 semi-finals' three divisions are bantamweight, lightweight, and welterweight. The remaining 12 fighters in the tournament are representing nine nations, with Nigeria having three fighters all vying for a chance at the finals. The 2026 tournament sees some familiar faces from the 2025 tournament, whilst also welcoming new fighters making their first run through the PFL Africa tournament.

PFL Africa 2026 Semi-Final Match-Ups

Welterweight Semi-Finals

Shido Boris Esperança (Angola) vs. Peace Nguphane (South Africa)

Shido Boris Esperança (12-2) reaches another semi-final after being a finalist in the 2025 season, before ultimately falling to PFL Africa Welterweight Champion Yabna N'Tchala in the final. At PFL Africa: Pretoria, 'The Machine' returned to the tournament and picked up a first-round stoppage, finishing Emilios Dassi with punches and elbows in the first round.

Standing opposite him is South Africa's Peace 'X' Nguphane (9-3). This is Nguphane's PFL Africa debut season, but he immediately made an impact in Pretoria by defeating reigning 2025 PFL Africa Welterweight Champion Yabna N'Tchala via unanimous decision. That was one of the major upsets of the entire 2026 PFL Africa season, and it certainly boosts Nguphane's momentum heading into the semi-finals.

Rivaldo Pereira (Guinea-Bissau) vs. David Samuel (Nigeria)

Rivaldo 'Don Pepas' Pereira (4-2) made his PFL Africa debut in Pretoria, stepping in on just one day's notice against Kunle Lawal. The Guinea-Bissau mixed martial artist made it count, as he stopped Lawal with a body shot followed by ground strikes early in the first round. In Casablanca, he faces undefeated Nigerian David Samuel (6-0).

Samuel made his PFL Africa debut in Pretoria and submitted Abdelrahman Mohamed with a first-round rear-naked choke. Both Pereira and Samuel enter the semi-final with first-round finishes in their PFL Africa tournament debuts, making this one of the more intriguing matches on the Casablanca card.

Lightweight Semi-Finals

Patrick Ocheme (Nigeria) vs. Cornel Thompson (Nigeria)

Patrick 'StarBoi' Ocheme (9-1) prominently featured in the inaugural 2025 PFL Africa season but, after failing to make the upper featherweight limit, was ultimately excluded from that tournament. Following his move to lightweight, the kickboxing specialist stunned the PFL Africa: Nigeria crowd by producing one of the most spectacular finishes of the season thus far, knocking Octave Ayinda out with a first-round flying knee.

His opponent, 'The Marine Boxer' Cornel Thompson (12-3), made his PFL Africa debut at the 2025 season finals in a showcase bout. In June, Thompson officially entered the tournament and advanced to the semi-finals with a unanimous decision victory over Aureo Cruz. This is an all-Nigerian showdown that will certainly have West African fight fans on the edge of their seats.

Demba Seck (Senegal) vs. Hussain Al-Kurdi (Chad)

Demba 'Black Tiger' Seck (11-3) is another PFL Africa debutant. The Senegalese lightweight dominated Jean Do Santos over three rounds in Nigeria, earning a unanimous decision en route to the semi-finals. Seck is one of the most respected mixed martial artists to ever come out of Senegal, and he is an all-rounder who is able to pick up the victory in various ways.

He will face the undefeated Chadian Hussain 'Black Panther' Al-Kurdi (3-0), who also made his PFL Africa debut in Nigeria. Al-Kurdi submitted Abderrahman Errachidy with a rear-naked choke early in the second round, maintaining his perfect record. With the visible disparity in their professional records, Al-Kurdi will be looking to pull off the ultimate upset by making it all the way to the finals.

Bantamweight Semi-Finals

Karim Henniene (Algeria) vs. Raphael Uchegbu (Nigeria)

Karim 'The Kryptonian' Henniene heads to Casablanca as the only undefeated fighter in the bantamweight semi-finals. The Algerian-Canadian was one of PFL Africa's breakout stars in its 2025 season, before an injury ultimately prevented him from his place in the finals. Henniene had a thunderous reception in Nigeria, and he submitted Thimna Mhlauli with a first-round anaconda choke to secure his place in the semi-finals.

In Morocco, he meets Raphael Uchegbu (11-2), who is fairly new to the African MMA scene. Uchegbu earned his spot with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Edson Machavane. Uchegbu previously competed for PFL and Bellator, and he aims to make sure that this return to the promotion yields a championship and $100,000 at the end of it all.

Dwight Joseph (Liberia) vs. Boule Godogo (Angola)

Dwight Joseph (16-3) competed as a featherweight in the 2025 season, but opted for the bantamweight division in 2026. After losing out to 2025 PFL Africa Featherweight Champion Wasi Adeshina in the finals, Joseph is looking to make his bantamweight campaign have a different outcome. This all began with a split decision victory over Alain Majorique.

Across the cage from him will be Boule 'Bad Boy' Godogo (5-2), who is no stranger to the toughest tests of the PFL Africa system. The Angolan reached the 2025 bantamweight finals, but lost to Nkosi Ndebele, who became the 2026 PFL Africa Bantamweight Champion. Godogo secured his semi-final spot by finishing Dauda Rajabu with a third-round ground-and-pound in Nigeria.

PFL Africa: Morocco Full Card

• Heavyweight Main Event: Abdoulaye Kane vs. Badr Medkouri*
• Bantamweight Semi-Final: Karim Henniene vs. Raphael Uchegbu
• Welterweight Semi-Final: Shido Boris Esperança vs. Peace Nguphane
• Lightweight Semi-Final: Patrick Ocheme vs. Cornel Thompson
• Welterweight Semi-Final: Rivaldo Pereira vs. David Samuel
• Lightweight Semi-Final: Demba Seck vs. Hussain Al-Kurdi
• Bantamweight Semi-Final: Dwight Joseph vs. Boule Godogo

*Showcase bout with no title or tournament implications

PFL Africa: Morocco takes place on Saturday, October 10, 2026 live from the Mohammed V Complex in Casablanca.