Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) does not give newcomers much time to settle in.
At a competition dubbed “ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3” in Nairobi on September 19, 16 fighters from six African countries entered the cage for eight professional bouts. None made it to the second round.
A mixed crowd of teenagers, young adults, expatriates, and executives from different companies was part of a crowd of 1,089 people who showed up to watch the fights in what is a growing new phenomenon on the local sports scenes.
In the end, Madagascar’s Tsinjo Rakotomoria won Fight of the Night, Kenya’s Kevin Odongo took Knockout (KO) of the Night and his compatriot George “The Maverick” Itumo claimed “Submission of the Night” award.
Kenya’s Kevin Odongo (top) competes in the men’s heavyweight bout during ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3 at the Village Market in Nairobi on September 19, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
For anyone being introduced to MMA, it was a useful demonstration of what makes the sport so unpredictable. A fight can involve striking, wrestling, grappling, submissions and rapid changes in position — and it can be over in seconds. MMA is still trying to establish itself as a viable professional sport in Kenya.
ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3, held for the first time on the rooftop of Village Market, was the promotion’s biggest professional fight night to date.
The event brought together fighters from Kenya, Angola, Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar and South Sudan. It also offered a glimpse of where African MMA could be headed.
Among those watching was Demarte Pena “The Wolf”, a former EFC World Champion and ARES World Champion from Angola who has spent more than a decade competing, coaching and mentoring fighters.
Pena started martial arts as a child - influenced by action movies - training in karate and judo before moving into MMA. He made his professional debut in 2011 and eventually became an EFC champion in two weight divisions.
But he remembers that one of the most important moments of his career came before he became a professional.
“I lost a kick-boxing fight at a time when I was relying mainly on my natural ability and wasn’t as dedicated as I needed to be,” he says.
“That loss taught me that skill alone is not enough. You must also be disciplined and willing to put in the work every day.”
That lesson is one he now passes on to the next generation of fighters. Pena was in Nairobi not only as a special guest at Pro Nights 3, but also as a referee. He had completed a refereeing course in 2019.
During his visit, he also conducted a seminar at Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy, sharing lessons from his years in the sport. He was impressed by what he saw in the competition.
“The event was run very professionally and to international standard,” he says. “I was impressed by the organisation, the level of competition and the overall presentation.”
For Pena, however, the importance of an event such as “ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3” extends beyond one night of fights.
“Africa has an incredible amount of talent, but talent needs platforms, investment and consistent competition to develop,” he says.
That is the challenge facing fighters such as Odongo. The athlete who is based at Githurai 45 in Nairobi has been training in martial arts since 2008.
He trains at Colosseum Fitness Centre, and at Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy and has built an unbeaten record across several combat disciplines.
Daniela Mandanji of Angola and Rebecca Amongi of Uganda compete in the women's flyweight bout during ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3 at the Village Market in Nairobi on September 19, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
His Muay Thai record stands at 6-0, his kick-boxing record at 8-0, while he has gone 4-0 as an amateur MMA fighter, and 3-0 as a professional. He has yet to taste defeat in MMA.
“Passion drew me to MMA, and I developed interest after watching international fighters,” he says.
Over the years, the sport has given him more than fights.
“The progress has been phenomenal. I’ve learnt a lot, acquired numerous skills and met different people in different places.”
His second professional MMA fight remains particularly memorable. His opponent was a Congolese fighter skilled in many disciplines, including karate, judo and taekwondo.
That experience demonstrated to him how broad MMA can be. Unlike a sport built around a single discipline, MMA brings several fighting systems together. A fighter may need to be comfortable standing and exchanging punches and kicks, defending takedowns, wrestling for position or fighting from the ground.
“I thought that it was the most exciting sport,” says Itumo, who trains and coaches at One Tribe Jiu-Jitsu.
Itumo began martial arts training after secondary school in 2012, although his first amateur MMA competition came a decade later, in 2022. He now has a professional record of three wins and one loss.
He describes himself as an all-round fighter who can strike and grapple, although he is particularly comfortable on the ground. His attraction to MMA was not only about competition.
“I’ve always been a martial arts nerd,” he says. “Having people practice martial arts at a high level against one another in a competitive setting was just mind-blowing to me. I thought if I could train in mixed martial arts, it would come as a tool for self defence.”
That combination of competition, technical skill and self-defence has helped drive interest in the sport. But interest does not necessarily translate into a career. Itumo works a regular nine-to-five job because, at present, fighting does not provide enough income for him to live on.
“I’d like our sport to have government support,” he says, pointing to the emergence of a new MMA federation in Kenya.
“I would like for the government to come in heavily and support the federation and the pro league as well as sponsors to come in so that someone can have an MMA career fully without having to do something else.”
For Itumo, the dream is straightforward: to reach the highest level of the sport.
“My goal in the sport is to reach the highest level or Mt Rushmore, which is to have a UFC title.”
Getting there, however, requires more than ambition.
South Sudan’s Alhassan Mosala (in green trunks) competes with Michael Olara of Uganda) in the men’s middleweight bout during ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3 at the Village Market in Nairobi on September 19, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
Itumo says his preparation involves studying opponents, developing strategies around their strengths and weaknesses, strength and conditioning, cardio and training the nervous system to respond when required.
His routine has to fit around his day job. When in camp, he trains twice a day three times a week and once a day on the other training days, apart from Sundays.
Odongo’s preparation for Pro Nights 3 was even more demanding. He says he trained three to four times a day, including at least one more session than his opponent’s daily routine. For him, the intensity has become normal.
“It’s not so much intense to me nowadays because it’s something I’m used to. I therefore enjoy every bit that comes from it.”
That preparation paid off in Nairobi. Odongo stopped Uganda’s Kasozi Umaru in the heavyweight bout to claim KO of the Night.
Itumo, meanwhile, closed the event with an armbar submission of Angola’s Jorge Correia in the bantamweight main event, earning Submission of the Night. The rest of the card was just as unforgiving.
Tanzania’s Rashid Mlegelo stopped Uganda’s Kennedy Serunyange in a featherweight bout, while Kenya’s Brian Munyi defeated Uganda’s Cyplian Katumba by TKO.
South Sudan’s Alhassan Mosala stopped Uganda’s Michael Olara at middleweight, while Madagascar’s Tsinjo Rakotomaria defeated Uganda’s Lawrence Mukiibi at lightweight. It was ANZA MMA’s first licensed MMA promotion under the Kenya Oriental Combat Sports Federation.
