Combat sports lovers witnessed an action-packed evening of knockouts and submissions as the ‘Battle of The Hood’ Mixed Martial Arts MMA showpiece lived up to its billing at the Honourable Lukman Oluomo Sports Arena in Ajegunle.
The tournament, organised by Akalaka Spirit Of The Warrior, lasted into the early hours of Sunday 27 April 2025 with fight fans in Ajegunle asking for more.
Heavyweight star Kabiru ‘Hulk’ Adediran dominated Atiti Fidelis with a first-round technical knockout in the main event, confirming his reputation as one of Nigeria’s most intimidating fighters.
Dr Ebere Bernard, President of the Akalaka Spirit of the Warrior MMA Promotion and Director, Youth Development in the Nigeria Mixed Martial Arts Federation, expressed satisfaction with the quality of bouts on display.
“For me, it’s one of the best fights I’ve witnessed this year. As you can see, we have a lot of knockouts, submissions, very entertaining fights. Gradually, we will get to identify with the game of MMA as a means of entertainment,” he said.
In the light heavyweight category, Fabian ‘Gentle Giant’ Texas emerged as the standout performer, winning both his bouts via first-round knockouts to claim the division’s honour.
His path to the final victory over Martin Aziba included a first round demolition of Imohi Prince in the semi-final.
Aziba had knocked out Ennis Abdulkareem in another semi-final of the light heavyweight class.
The lightweight category saw Joseph James claim victory by split decision against Effiong Bassey in a closely contested final, while Jeremiah Akpan secured a first-round submission win against Ichendu Victory in the bantamweight division.
The women’s flyweight competition produced equally thrilling encounters with Immaculata Nelson emerging as the Best Fighter of the Night after defeating Miracle Andrew by submission in the third and final round.
Related: Nwokolo Defends WBA Title With Seventh-Straight Win
Nelson had earlier advanced by submitting Khadijat Idowu in the second round of their bout, while Andrew reached the final by securing a unanimous decision victory over Quadri Balikis.
“I’m very excited about winning the Best Fighter of the Night award. I was prepared, I knew I was going to fight two fights and so I did all I could so that I’ll be able to withstand anything that comes,” Nelson said after her triumph.
“You know people have talents but they don’t have the platform to showcase their talents so this kind of platform makes the athletes go back home and train more, knowing that there is an avenue that can showcase us to the world so I really thank the organisers.”
Chris Nwokolo, vice president of the Akalaka Spirit of the Warrior, highlighted the organisation’s mission to change perceptions about Nigerian youth through combat sports.
“We’re all about youth empowerment, creating opportunities for youths and an avenue for them to express themselves. How can we catch those very energetic youths and channel their energies in the MMA world,” he said.
“We want to feed that culture and put Nigeria out there. So when people think about Nigeria, they’re thinking of strength, they’re thinking of youth, and that way they stop thinking of us as a nation of fraudsters, but rather as a nation of energy.”
The event, which was broadcast to over 35 countries across Africa and beyond, represented another significant step in Nigeria’s developing MMA scene.
According to Dr Bernard, fighters who reached the finals will be signed to the promotion with opportunities to compete internationally.
“The ultimate goal of Akalaka promotion is to depopulate the streets with youth that are associated with negative vices and by so doing, provide them with an economic means, job opportunities and training,” Dr Bernard explained.
