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| Costa Ioannou |
There was not
much top end lightweight action at EFC 12, as a result most of the rankings
remain unchanged. There were however some new challengers uncovered who many
yet be a threat in the EFC lightweight division. Keep an eye on Ryan van
Niekerk and Boyd Allen in the future.
1. Costa
Ioannou (4–0)
Undefeated in his
professional career and boasting many of the biggest scalps in the division,
Costa Ioannou is somewhat of an enigma in the lightweight class. He is
ferocious on the feet, incredibly strong in the clinch and an expert on the
ground, a mix which is proving increasingly difficult for the rest of the
division to figure out. Ioannou, the current EFC Africa lightweight champion,
was also the first South African to defend an EFC title, when he bested Alex Cheboub
in emphatic style at EFC 10. If history is anything to go by, Costa Ioannou
could be a dominant force in the hexagon for a long time to come.
2. Chris
Bright (26-3)
Chris Bright made
a quick cameo in the EFC, earned a title shot and was then forced to withdraw
due to injury. This is all most MMA fans have seen of one of the most decorated
MMA fighters South Africa has ever produced. Bright has fought both nationally
and internationally for many years and is regarded as one of the best ground
specialists in the country. As MMA fans we can only hope that the powers that
be can arrange for Chris Bright to challenge Costa Ioannou sooner rather than
later, in what would undoubtedly be a defining fight for South African MMA and
a BJJ master class.
3. Brendon
Katz (7-1)
Brendon Katz has
a single blemish, courtesy of this list’s number one fighter, Costa Ioannou, in
a fight of the night appearance. Shy of his only loss, Katz has looked
impressive in the cage, and has recently made a successful jump to fighting
internationally, where he has defeated USA’s Omar Santiago at XFC Africa
5 and UK’s Huseyin Garabet at UCMMA25.
Hopefully we will see Brendon Katz back in the cage in South Africa soon, where
he can put his wealth of experience to good use.
4. Wentzel
“The Animal” Nel (9-3)
Former EFC Africa
Lightweight champion Wentzel Nel has used his wrestling to defeat some of the
best in the division, including besting Leo Gloss to become the first EFC
lightweight champion. Nel recently lost his lightweight crown to Costa Ioannou
at EFC 08, but bounced back with a pair of wins against Manny Da Silva at EFC
09 and Terrence Griessel at EFC 11. It looks like The Animal wants his
Lightweight belt back!
5. Ryan
“The Lion” van Niekerk (20-6)
Ryan van Niekerk
is a veteran of the sport, and has held division gold in other promotions. Van
Niekerk has also fought some of the toughest names in the business including
Wesley Hawkey and Chris Bright. Currently on a four fight winning streak, The
Lion managed to win his EFC debut against Markus Taljaard and will be looking
to build on this platform and ultimately earn an EFC Africa title shot.
View all : Best MMA fighters in South Africa
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