Extreme Fighting Championship

Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) is a South African mixed martial arts promotion company established since 2009. It is the largest MMA promotion company on the continent of Africa and features on its roster professional fighters from across the world including the United States, Europe, South America, the UK, Australia, and Africa. The organization produces 10 live events annually. They currently have over 120 athletes exclusively contracted to the organisation. EFC events are currently broadcast in over 120 countries around the world on numerous television networks in multiple languages. To date, EFC has held 132 events (130 numbered events and 2 fight night events) and presided over approximately 1,000 matches.

History EFC was founded in 2009 by brothers Cairo Howarth, Silas Howarth, and Calvin Howarth who are the present owners and along with Graeme Cartmell, who is the Vice President of Talent and Matchmaker, are the key people in the company. Prior to 2009, the Howarth brothers were great admirers of the UFC and would regularly watch UFC events through pay per view channels. This inspired them to create an African-based MMA promotion company modelled on the UFC which they named Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC). EFC's inaugural event took place at the Ticketpro Dome (formerly the Coca-Cola Dome) in Johannesburg, South Africa on 10 November 2009. The first 7 events took place at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg. From the 8th event in 2011 onwards, the organization held events in other major cities throughout South Africa which to date includes Cape Town, Durban, Carnival City Casino, Sun City Casino, Pretoria and Johannesburg. When the demand to watch EFC events grew, they signed television broadcasting and streaming deals with a number of media organizations throughout the world. Today EFC has broadcasting deals in place with Multichoice Supersport, SABC Sport, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, CSI Sports, DAZN, Best4Sport, and IB Sports.

Rules

Extreme Fighting Championship's rules were initially drafted and aligned by Marius Lotter, the then regulator for Amateur and Professional MMA and are based upon the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. All bouts are contested over three, five-minute rounds, with the exception of five-round championship bouts. There is a one-minute rest period between rounds. As per the Unified Rules of MMA, Extreme Fighting Championship only allows competitors to fight in approved shorts, without shoes or any other sort of foot padding. Fighters must use approved light gloves (4-6 ounces) that allow fingers to grab. The referee has the right to stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate on the ground (where neither are in a dominant position nor working toward one) after a verbal warning.

Match outcome Matches usually end via: Submission: a fighter taps on the mat or his opponent three times (or more) or verbally submits. Knockout: a fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue. Technical Knockout: stoppage of the fight by the referee if it is determined a fighter cannot "intelligently defend" himself or by ringside doctor due to injury. Judges' Decision: Depending on scoring, a match may end as: unanimous decision (all three judges score a win for one fighter), split decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with the third for the other), majority decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with one for a draw), unanimous draw (all three judges score a draw), majority draw (two judges score a draw). split draw (the total points for each fighter is equal)

A fight can also end in a technical decision, technical draw, disqualification, forfeit or no contest.

Judging criteria The ten-point must system is used for all EFC bouts; three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points, the loser nine points or less. If the round is even, both fighters receive ten points. The decision is announced at the end of the match, but the judge's scorecards are not announced.

Fouls The following are considered fouls in EFC bouts:

Butting with the head. Eye gouging of any kind. Biting. Hair pulling. Groin attacks of any kind. Fish hooking, gouging as in self-defense and some martial arts. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. Small joint manipulation. Striking to the spine or the back of the head. (see Rabbit punch) Striking downward using the point of the elbow. (see Elbow (strike)) Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh. Grabbing the clavicle. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent. Stomping a grounded opponent. Kicking to the kidney with the heel. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. (see piledriver (professional wrestling)) Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent. Spitting at an opponent. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent. Holding the ropes or the fence. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area. Attacking an opponent on or during the break. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury. Interference by the corner. Throwing in the towel during competition.

When a foul is charged, the referee in their discretion may deduct one or more points as a penalty. If a foul incapacitates a fighter, then the match may end in a disqualification if the foul was intentional, or a no contest if unintentional. If a foul causes a fighter to be unable to continue later in the bout, it ends with a technical decision win to the injured fighter if the injured fighter is ahead on points, otherwise it is a technical draw.

Current champions ClassUpper weight limitChampionEventDateSourceHeavyweight Terrence Borndef. Matunga DjikasaEFC 138 World Sports Betting EFC Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa1 October 2026Light Heavyweight JC Lamprechtdef. Mzwandile Hlongwa EFC 106 EFC Performance Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa10 August 2023Middleweight Diego Bandudef. Luke MichaelEFC 131 randWest Grand Arena, Cape Town, South Africa26 February 2026Welterweight Zaakir Badatdef. Ziko Makengele EFC 113 EFC Performance Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa9 May 2024Lightweight Martin Van Staden def. Igeu Kabesa EFC 120 EFC Performance Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa 12 December 2024Interim Adrian Sanchezdef. Jeferson Pereira EFC 131 GrandWest Grand Arena, Cape Town, South Africa26 February 2026Featherweight Igeu Kabesa def. Nerik SimõesEFC 95 EFC Performance Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa16 July 2022Interim Faeez Jacobsdef. Shadrack YembaEFC 137 World Sports Betting EFC Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa10 September 2026Bantamweight Faeez Jacobsdef. Vince BembeEFC 117 FC Performance Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa12 September 2024Flyweight Tumelo Manyamala def. Ntando Zondi EFC 131 GrandWest Grand Arena, Cape Town, South Africa 26 February 2026Women's Bantamweight Juliet Chukwudef. Dayne van WykEFC 119 EFC Performance Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa11 November 2024Women's Flyweight Amanda Linodef. Mariana SallesEFC 123 World Sports Betting EFC Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa8 May 2025Women's StrawweightVacant

Men's championship history Heavyweight World Championship 206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)

{| class="wikitable" width=100% !width=1%|No. !width=23%|Name !width=15%|Event !width=17%|Date !width=36%|Defenses |- !1 |align=left | Ruan Potts |align=center |EFC 9 |align=center |30 July 2011

!5 |align=left | Andrew Van Zyl |align=center |EFC 39 |align=center |7 May 2015

|align="center" colspan="6"|Djikasa vacated the title after signing with Absolute Championship Akhmat.

Light Heavyweight World Championship 186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)

No.NameEventDateDefenses1 J.P. Joubert EFC 1527 July 2012Joubert vacated the title after he retired.2 Gideon DrotschieEFC 2027 June 20133 Norman WesselsEFC 35Cape Town, South Africa 6 November 2014- Dalcha Lungiambuladef. Tumelo Maphutha for interim titleEFC 52Cape Town, South Africa 5 August 2016Wessels vacated the title on 4 March 2017 after he retired.4 Dalcha LungiambulaEFC 52Cape Town, South Africa 4 March 2017Lungiambula vacated the title on 29 June 2019 after signing with the UFC.5 Simon BiyongEFC 8228 September 2019Biyong vacated the title on 10 October 2020 after signing with Bellator MMA.6 JC Lamprecht def. Mzwandile Hlongwa EFC 10610 August 2023

Middleweight World Championship 171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)

Extreme Fighting Championship

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