Nkosi Ndebele from Diepsloot will make his PFL Global debut in a catchweight bout against Brandon Davis on 25 July in Washington, DC. The 31-year-old was promoted after winning the PFL Africa bantamweight title in December 2025.
Ndebele, raised by a single mother in the township of Diepsloot in Gauteng, overcame early hardships to reach this point. He was initially scheduled to face Mando Gutierrez, but an injury led to Davis stepping in.
The fighter has spoken about the stigma in South Africa against pursuing MMA over traditional careers. “There’s this stigma that’s limiting especially black children, coming from our parents,” Ndebele told Daily Maverick. He noted that his family now supports his path after seeing results.
Ndebele recently competed in Pretoria in April 2026, defeating Michele Clemente by unanimous decision in his first Gauteng fight in eight years. He will face Davis while hoping to build on South Africa’s recent MMA success, including Dricus du Plessis’s win over Kamaru Usman on 19 July.
