Emjindi fighter wins SA MMA title
Throne came, saw, and conquered - and now he is on the throne.
This is the only way one can describe Throne Msibi, a 25-year-old from Emjindi’s rise up the ranks of the tough contact sport, mixed martial arts (MMA).
“Since I was small, I was never one who backed out of a fight,” he told Lowvelder.
A month before lockdown, in February 2020, Msibi started his training as an MMA fighter at Wolves Academy.
Against all odds, he won the South African MMA championships in the welterweight class in Brakpan.
Weighing in at 77kg, Msibi tackled some of the country’s best MMA fighters in duals over the three-day championship.
Awie Davis established Wolves Academy 32 years ago with only a handful of fighters. Although many of them reached great highs in the sport, Davis is especially proud of Msibi’s achievement in a short span of two years.
“We only started with MMA training seven years ago. Then, in February 2020, I got a call from an enthusiastic young man who said he would like to be become a MMA fighter.
“And in walks this shortish man, clean shaven, lean but muscled and a smile that beams like a bright spotlight. And the rest is history,” Davis said.
After being selected as a member of the Mpumalanga Mix Martial Arts of
South Africa (MMASA) during trails in Middelburg, Msibi got on a bus to attend the SAs in Gauteng.
In his first fight on July 22, he was drawn to fight against Zane van Wyngaard from Gauteng. After a tough battle, he won.
The biggest surprise of the tournament, which turned the games on its head, came on Saturday when Msibi was drawn to tackle a current SA champ, Francois
Buys from KwaZulu-Natal.
“He was the overall favoured contestant to win the gold medal. But a dedicated Throne threw everything he had into this fight. And against all odds, he beat Buys,” said Davis, who is also the chairperson of the Mpumalanga MMASA.
In the final fight of the championships, Msibi squared up against yet another champion fighter, Brendon Jenkins from Gauteng. Msibi eventually conquered Jenkins when he got him into a headlock position called a guillotine, a chokehold technique that requires utilising one or two arms to surround the opponent’s neck and which is exceedingly difficult for an opponent to get out of. This move usually forces an opponent to tap out of a fight.
A South African team to compete internationally will be elected later this year. “With this championship under his belt, we are sure he will be included in the team,” said Davis.
Msibi said he was extremely chuffed and excited to walk away as the gold medal holder.
“I have learnt in the short two years I’ve been competing that muscle power is not the be-all in MMA. You must constantly think on your feet and predict you next move ahead of touching your opponent. This is a very tactical mind game, and you must outsmart you opponent. I really gave it my all.
“When I started with MMA fighting, I realised that this is what I was born and bred for!”
‘When I started with MMA fighting, I realised that this is what I was born and bred for’