EFC 79: Main Card recap

EFC Worldwide delivered an exciting night of fights this past Saturday at EFC 79 in the beautiful Carnival City in Johannesburg, South Africa. Headlined by Igeu Kabesa, defending his EFC Featherweight Title against Karlo Caput. EFC Welterweight Grand Prix also kicked off, as Themba Gorimbo faced off against Jose Da Rocha, as well as some bright young MMA stars in action.

Reinaldo Ekson (15-4) def. Tumisang Madiba (9-7) via Submission
(guillotine choke) 0:35 into round 2.
A fast and furious first round showed off both fighters’ striking ability. Ekson was aggressive, moving forward and landing strikes, but Madiba was quick to counter strike and score off it.

A back-and-forth first round had the fans excited, as both men showcased their skill sets. Madiba charged into round two with a flurry of punches, driving Ekson back and then taking him down against the cage.

Ekson showed poise and experience when he took the take down and was still able to lock in the guillotine on Madiba to secure the victory.

Anicet Kanyeba (10-9) defeated Pietie Coxen (5-10) via TKO (strikes) 3:14 into round 1.
Coxen came into the bout on a three-fight losing streak and desperately needing a win. Johannesburg’s fan favorite, Kanyeba, had different plans as he was fighting to hit double digit wins.

Coxen came out looking crisp with swift striking and some elusive head movement. But that changed quickly as Kanyeba quickly found his range and worked out Coxen’s timing.

Kanyeba landed a big punch that dropped Coxen, then landed a monster body shot that all but shut down Cozen’s body, ending the fight.

EFC Welterweight Grand Prix
Themba Gorimbo (7-2) defeated Jose Da Rocha (10-6) via U Decision.
This tournament finds the winner with an EFC Welterweight Title shot, and both men showed they wanted to advance.

Da Rocha and Gorimbo both came out hot with hands flying in round one. It was a back-and-forth battle that had plenty of action.

Late in the first round, Da Rocha landed a big right hand that wobbled Gorimbo. Another straight shot had him reeling, and Da Rocha went for the kill, but Gorimbo was saved by the bell.

When it all looked like Da Rocha was in control, everything changed. Gorimbo went to work, taking the Brazilian down and maintaining top position and ground control, clearly winning round two.

Round three would make or break this fight, and Gorimbo made the most of it. Going back to what worked in round two, he was able to score a couple take downs and get some ground-and-pound in on a depleted Da Rocha, who looked as if the altitude had drained his gas tank and ultimately giving Gorimbo the UD.

EFC World Featherweight Title.
(C) Igeu Kabesa (12-1) defeated Karlo Caput (8-1) via knockout 1:03 into round 1,
Caput came in undefeated, and the announcers called him a Croatian hired gun, as the EFC was looking for top talent to challenge their champion.

Caput had won his last fight by way of a five second knockout and was confident he was leaving with the coveted EFC gold around his waist. Kabesa, who never lacks in confidence, saw things working out differently.

Caput came out fast, wanting to be aggressive and pressure Kabesa to try  and get an early finish. Early finish is exactly what Caput got, just not the way he wanted.

Kabesa landed a monster left hook that folded up Caput and turned out the lights for the night. Impressive would be an understatement when talking about Kabesa. He has shown he can dance with anyone in the world at featherweight.

Another great night of EFC Worldwide action at EFC 79! I am looking forward to EFC 80 Mclellan vs Lesar, Saturday June 29, from Carnival City, Johannesburg.

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@DamonSmith34

Check out a previous MMA article of mine bellow!

http://marylandsportsblog.com/between-rounds-michael-venom-page/

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Damon Smith

I am the new writer for combat sports such as UFC, Bellator, Boxing and WWE here with MSB. I have been involved in pro wrestling on the Indie circuit for over 20 years as Devin Storm. Owner of Rampage All-Star Wrestling and talent manager and announcer for a few other promotions. An avid sports fan born and raised in Texas. I am married to my beautiful wife Jodi and have two sons Dustin and Dalton. Life long passion for Pro Wrestling and love MMA so getting this gig was amazing for me. You can expect not only WWE and UFC news but also some gems from other promotions in these two sports. So buckle up buttercup it's gonna be a wild ride. Follow me on twitter at @damonsmith34 and @MSBFightClub

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