Penco fights back to force submission

Italy’s Chiara Penco (right) survived a battle of attrition on Saturday night as she beat South Africa’s Danella Eliasov to become the first women’s strawweight champion in the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC).

In the first event of the year, EFC67 at the Big Top Arena at Carnival City, the 22-year-old looked to have spent all of her energy going into the fourth round of the fight when suddenly she stunned Eliasov with a triangle, which morphed into an armbar, forcing Eliasov to tap to the pressure.

In the co-main event of the evening featherweight champion Igeu Kabesa stepped up a weight class at late notice to take on the dangerous Brazilian Paulo Silva in a lightweight bout.

The smaller Kabesa stepped up his game in a way never seen before as he used his world-class wrestling ability combined with precise striking to cut down Silva.

Ultimately it was a lighting-fast, weaving, spinning back elbow in the second round that ended the night for the Brazilian.

Dutchman Renier de Ridder almost certainly etched his name into the No 1 contender’s spot in the middleweight division with a perfectly executed rear-naked choke on South Africa’s Warren Allison early in the opening round.

The contest between Gordon Roodman and Khulekani Hlongwa was brought to a premature end due to an unintentional groin strike which led to the fight being ruled a no-contest.

Local favourite Bokang Masunyane started off the main card of the evening with a unanimous points decision over England’s Coner Hignett.

Masunyane did, however, survive a massive scare in the dying moments of the fight as Hignett launched a barrage of punches, only to be denied by the buzzer.