Battle of the bruisers
EFC71: VAN ZYL FACES A TEST OF HIS METTLE AGAINST DRC POWERHOUSE
Clinton Jones
It’s the battle of the big dogs as the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) serves up a treat for its fans at Carnival City tonight. Andrew van Zyl – the alpha male of the organisation – puts his heavyweight title on the line against DRC powerhouse and light-heavyweight champion Dalcha Lungiambula at EFC71 in what is sure to be one of the biggest fights the hexagon has ever seen.
Dalcha, who ran out of credible opponents in his own division, is stepping up a weight class to take on a man who is arguably the best fighter that EFC has ever had.
“I don’t feel any pressure, I fight for myself,” Lungiambula said when asked about fighting for a second title.
He is looking to become the third athlete in the EFC to hold two titles simultaneously, after Dricus du Plessis and Amanda Lino.
But one does not simply step into the home of the baddest man on the planet and take his gold.
Van Zyl – a three-time heavyweight champion and currently riding a five-fight win streak – has also cleaned out his division, making this make-up the only real logical choice.
“We are two big dudes with a lot of power, and that throws something new into the situation, but all in all it’s the two best in their division having a go at each other,” Van Zyl said earlier this week.
In the co-main of the evening, the smallest men in the organisation will square off as flyweight champion Nkazimulu Zulu takes on Brazilian BJJ specialist Magno Alves.
Zulu was due to face Bokang Masunyane, but the latter pulled out of the fight due to injury, giving Alves an opportunity to cause a massive upset.
“Magno is the guy. He’s just one of those fighters you know regardless of the circumstances, will arrive in great shape and will put on a legitimate fight,” explained Graeme Cartmell, EFC VP of Talent.
When asked about the late cancellation, Zulu simply said: “They are all running scared of me, I’ll kick off all their heads.”
Plus, on the main card, undefeated muay thai specialist Steven Goncalves faces judo blackbelt Luthando Biko, Cedric Doyle returns against Trezegeut Kanyinda and opening the live broadcast with a bang, Conrad Seabi goes head-to-head with Pietie Coxen.
Trevor Stevens
So there I was, fortunate enough to be sitting in a Paris cafe, sipping on a local beer and watching France play their opening World Cup match against Australia in Kazan last weekend.
The game was not spectacular by any stretch of the imagination, with France – the 1998 world champions – securing a 2-1 win over the Socceroos after three second-half goals. It wasn’t a dull game, but it wasn’t wow either. It certainly wasn’t the 3-3 Portugal-Spain draw the night before wow.
It wasn’t my intention to watch in a cafe. I spent the best part of the morning looking for a bar or venue with plenty of atmosphere, but to no avail. Bars were either closed or the owners wanted you to order something to eat, not just watch the football. Maybe the locals were in a bad mood because the French rugby team had just lost the second Test, and the series, to the All Blacks. Maybe it was too early in the day. Or most probably, and more accurately, it was because I didn’t do my homework in looking for a lively bar beforehand.
The World Cup is here, and if you can’t get a ticket to Russia, the next best thing is to find a lively spot to watch the world’s best footballers at work.
I spent some time in Portugal and Belgium the week prior to the World Cup, and the vibe was more passionate than in Paris.
In Portugal, our tour guide Filipa Loule knew her stuff.
“We have a good squad, so we have a chance,” she said. “I just don’t feel we will go all the way, as there are just other nations with better squads. But you never know ... we do have Ronaldo.”
Ronaldo has been in sublime form in their two matches, knocking in four goals, including a hat-trick in their opener against Spain, as they recorded two wins from two.
In Belgium the feeling is that they will never get a better chance to lift the trophy.
They describe their squad as the golden generation, and there’s plenty of flags hanging from the apartment windows in Brussels and in the rural areas to back up their loyalty and optimism.
On leaving Paris for the airport, I noticed a stone’s throw away from where we were staying was an Australian bar.
Perhaps I should have watched the Aussies losing to France here to experience more emotion.
After all, their national football, rugby and cricket teams lost that Saturday.