African fighters have dominated the MMA landscape in recent years, with names such as Francis Ngannou and Israel Adesanya headlining some of the sport’s biggest cards.
However, while Africa has seen a rise in regional MMA promotions across the continent, international organisations have yet to tap into what is a rapidly growing fanbase.
PFL Africa’s General Manager, Elias Schulze, is aiming to change that, and LowKickMMA was fortunate enough to catch up with the man tasked with building the PFL brand across the world’s second-largest continent — and helping to bring a new generation of African fighters onto the world stage.
Schulze has spent well over a decade working across Africa in a variety of roles, but signing with PFL has provided him with his first taste of working in the combat sports world — and he is already hooked.
“I think it’s awe-inspiring to some degree. These guys are incredibly disciplined. They have a self-mastery that anybody who wants to do something with their life would envy,” he says, talking about the talent he is surrounded by at PFL Africa.
“They [the fighters] tend to have passed through immense challenges personally and professionally prior to even competing with us. So I think it’s awesome. What always struck me was, besides the discipline and self-mastery, the sportsmanship that you see.
These guys and gals give each other hugs after, make sure they’re all right, ask after each other, making sure the injury wasn’t too bad for their opponent. So I think that part is sort of missing from the public discourse at times. Particularly as a new sport in Africa, it’s important for us to give a holistic view that this is truly athleticism — combat sports in its highest degree of practice. For me, respect is the word.”
This weekend’s PFL Africa Semifinals: Rwanda event takes place inside the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. It is the first time PFL has staged a card in the country, and Schulze is excited about bringing PFL Africa to the East African nation.
“It’s also great we’re having a Rwandan fighter as a showcase against a Ugandan. His story is incredible,” Schulze said.
“He left Rwanda when he was two and grew up in Uganda. The reason why he has a Ugandan name is that his stepfather is Ugandan. He’s coming back; it’s his big homecoming.”
Growing a new sports league is tough in any market. Still, PFL has the advantage of broadcast deals that have given the company access to at least 40 million households across Africa — providing massive reach across the entire region.
In its first tournament, the promotion signed 32 fighters from around 15 African countries, helping to create a Pan-African feel to each card, with the aim of uniting the continent’s MMA fanbase. However, in the end, what will keep viewers returning is the action on display and their investment in the competing fighters.
Schulze has surrounded himself with top creative talent to showcase the roster’s athletes but is confident that, ultimately, it is the fighters themselves who will win over the crowds.
“These stories tell themselves; these are people who are incredibly interesting. The more viewers, one, see the sport — which they will because it’s being pushed — and two, see these heroes in these stories, they’ll figure out who they like and who they want to follow, and that will continue year on year,” he explains.
“Soon we’ll be having many mini Francis Ngannous. Everyone knows Francis Ngannou because of his acumen, but also his story and his resilience. So I think through PFL Africa, over the coming five to ten years, we will have dozens of little Francis Ngannous in their own right,” he adds.
“My perception is that’s what makes MMA also really interesting — the personal level of the narrative.”
After Rwanda, the next stop for PFL Africa will be in Benin, where the inaugural PFL Africa champions will be crowned. Planning has already started for 2026, and there is plenty of high-level MMA action set to take place before the curtain closes on this current season.
“We’re really excited for next year,” Schulze said.
“I mean, we got to close this year out properly. I think Benin will be a banger for sure. There is some incredible talent flowing through, even in the semi-finals; they are proven fighters, those are going to be explosive, but once we get to Benin, it’s going to be completely wild.”
