{"id":46304,"date":"2013-10-15T10:05:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-15T08:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/46304\/all-out-action-at-efc-africa-24\/"},"modified":"2013-10-15T10:16:56","modified_gmt":"2013-10-15T08:16:56","slug":"all-out-action-at-efc-africa-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/sports-news\/2013\/10\/15\/all-out-action-at-efc-africa-24\/","title":{"rendered":"All out action at EFC Africa 24"},"content":{"rendered":"

EFC Africa 24 delivered top flight MMA action in Carnival City’s Big Top Arena, last Thursday.<\/p>\n

Thirteen bouts were fought, culminating in two epic title bouts.<\/p>

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Jeremy “Pitbull” Smith put his middleweight belt on the line against Garreth “Soldierboy” McLellan, and Demarte “The Wolf” Pena defended his featherweight title against Alain “Commander Boy” Ilunga.<\/p>\n

Smith vs McLellan was the main event of the evening and, arguably, the most spectacular.<\/p>

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The two men last fought in March 2012, when McLellan relinquished his middleweight title to the Pitbull.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the challenger took the fight to the champ in a close and aggressive battle that had both landing numerous strikes.<\/p>\n

The bout went to ground, where McLellan managed to secure top position and land a devastating elbow strike that caused Smith’s nose to gush blood.<\/p>\n

McLellan then took the champion’s back and applied a rear naked choke, ending the bout in the first round.<\/p>\n

The evening’s co-main event was an EFC Africa milestone where, for the first time, two non-South Africans were competing for the title.<\/p>\n

DRC-born challenger Alain Ilunga faced Angola’s own, and undefeated, Demarte Pena.<\/p>\n

Billed as a certain strike fest, this bout was, instead, technical and drawn out.<\/p>\n

Pena controlled the action easily, his strength and experience leaving no opening for Ilunga.<\/p>\n

He took the fight by unanimous decision, in the process setting a new record of an incredible five title defences.<\/p>\n

In the only heavyweight bout of the evening, Ruan Potts finally got to face Ricky Misholas, a chance denied him at EFC Africa 20, when Misholas pulled out of their scheduled fight only hours before.<\/p>\n

The bout went as most expected.<\/p>\n

Potts rushed Misholas, took him down and tied him up with a sophisticated ground game.<\/p>\n

Brendon Katz made his return to the EFC Africa hexagon after more than two year’s absence.<\/p>\n

Up against Gareth Buirski, at featherweight, both men had huge KOs in their wake and promised a thrilling match.<\/p>\n

The bout started slowly, but built to a crescendo as the pressure of a closely fought, clinical war intensified.<\/p>\n

It took the judges to separate the two; Katz taking the win by unanimous decision.<\/p>\n

JC Lamprecht vs Dricus du Plessis kicked off the evening’s main card, and it was a fight to remember.<\/p>\n

Two incredibly similar fighters, they went at each other in a phenomenal display of all round MMA, pushing each other past their individual limits.<\/p>\n