Barebones Mixed Martial Arts Championship once again delivered on its promise of showcasing Africa’s next generation of amateur mixed martial arts talent at BMC9 on Saturday.
Inside the Sunningdale Sports Complex in Milnerton, 38 warriors stepped into the Barebones cage and left everything on the canvas, treating a crowd of more than 200 passionate supporters to an afternoon and evening of thrilling action. Family members, teammates, coaches, friends, partners, and loyal “brasse” packed the venue, creating an electric atmosphere as they rallied behind their respective athletes and gyms.
Judging by the rapid growth of the amateur scene, South Africa’s grassroots MMA movement is well on its way to eclipsing the professional ranks, at least in terms of activity and participation. With more events being staged across the country than ever before, the sport continues to break further into mainstream culture as increasing numbers of people walk through gym doors to take up one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.
Some dream of building professional careers, while others are drawn to MMA to develop confidence, learn self-defence, improve their fitness, or simply become healthier versions of themselves.
The value of mixed martial arts extends far beyond competition. Across South Africa, the sport has become a powerful vehicle for positive social change, helping combat social ills, instilling discipline, and providing young people and adults alike with opportunities to improve their lives through structure, mentorship, and personal development.
That same spirit was on full display in Milnerton, where athletes representing some of Africa’s top gyms competed under the Barebones banner — an organisation that has rapidly established itself as one of Africa’s premier amateur MMA promotions. Regardless of what first inspired each competitor to enter the cage, every athlete brought heart, determination, and a willingness to leave it all on the canvas. In return, they delivered a memorable night of entertainment.
The Youth Card showed the tenacity and talent of the young athletes. A particularly outstanding bout was that of Yordanis Hernandez Sampre (CDS) squaring off against Ashiq Rhode (House of Warriors). The Cuban-born Namibian put on a great display of all-round dominance.
It was a distinct indication of Rhode playing the long game, while Sampre narrowed the distance to strike at close range. Most notably, it was Sampre’s devastating body punches that hampered Rhode. Despite this, Rhode maintained his composure and countered whenever he saw fit. Sampre’s smothering top control also neutralised Rhode, and this proved to be the decisive factor in earning the nod from the judges.
To conclude the Prelim Card, the only female strawweight bout between Aqeelah Salie (PFA) and Haaniem Manan (Fighterz Inc.) was nothing short of spectacular. Manan was the initial aggressor, driving Salie up against the cage in an attempt to take her down, but Salie’s swift reversal forced Manan to reset.
Salie’s punches proved overwhelming for Manan, who rushed in again for a second takedown. Although Manan secured the half-guard position and controlled Salie on the canvas, Salie managed to get back to her feet. She regained the top position and promptly unleashed relentless ground-and-pound. Salie earned a referee-stoppage victory at the end of the first round.
The Main Card commenced with the exhilarating flyweight contender bout between JP Conradie (Troublemaker) and Junaid Brown (Trident MMA). Brown was clearly the underdog, but he quickly roused the spectators with a thunderous right hook that opened a cut above Conradie’s left eye.
Despite a few submission attempts from Conradie, Brown continued to implement heavy side control and eventually took Conradie’s back. Brown executed a rear-naked choke, earning a first-round victory. His next mission will be to challenge Kiran Jeffery, the current flyweight champion, at the forthcoming BMC event.
The Fight of the Night was arguably the lightweight title bout, with Josh Bester (MadFit) going toe-to-toe with Luqmaan Hartley (House of Combat). The electrifying atmosphere was evident whenever both fighters traded blows. The first round saw Bester put on a dominant display by forcing Hartley against the cage and blasting hard, consecutive knees to his torso. Despite losing the round, Hartley remained calm.
His unwavering patience allowed him to pick his strikes, landing with pinpoint accuracy. Hartley became increasingly difficult to decipher in the later rounds, but Bester continued to engage with him until the final bell. In this predominantly striking masterclass, Hartley’s crisp boxing secured him the victory, and he was crowned the new champion.
The main event, a heavyweight title clash between Nico Smook (SASL) and Herve Zeng (CDS), definitely lived up to expectations. The defending champion, Zeng, utilised excellent distance management, keeping Smook at bay with his jab while circling away. Despite Smook controlling the cage space, Zeng used this to lull him into a false sense of having the upper hand.
Zeng then fired a perfectly timed jab-left hook combination that sent Smook crashing to the canvas. He capitalised immediately, following Smook to the ground, advancing into full mount, and unleashing a vicious ground-and-pound attack.
Smook, stunned by the initial two-punch combination, had no answer for Zeng’s relentless barrage. After the referee stopped the fight in the third round, Zeng successfully retained his title.
BMC9 RESULTS
Main Card
-
Fight 19 – Men’s Heavyweight Title (93.1kg–120.2kg): Hervé Zeng beat Nico Smook via TKO in Round 3
-
Fight 18 – Men’s Flyweight Title (52.3kg–56.7kg): Kiran Jeffery beat Damien Muller via judges’ decision
-
Fight 17 – Men’s Lightweight Title (65.9kg–70.3kg): Luqmaan Hartley beat Josh Bester via unanimous decision
-
Fight 16 – Men’s Featherweight Title (61.3kg–65.8kg): Devon Sarkis beat Damien Erasmus via unanimous decision
-
Fight 15 – Men’s Lightweight Title Contender (65.9kg–70.3kg): Tapiwa Mugiyo beat Toufeeq van Schalkwyk via unanimous decision
-
Fight 14 – Men’s Flyweight Title Contender (52.3kg–56.7kg): Junaid Brown beat JP Conradie via rear-naked choke in Round 1
Preliminary Card
-
Fight 13 – Ladies Strawweight (48.3kg–52.2kg): Aqeelah Salie beat Haaniem Manan via TKO in Round 1
-
Fight 12 – Men’s Super Lightweight (71.5kg–74kg): James Hayward beat Aadam Arend via split decision
-
Fight 11 – Men’s Catchweight (79kg): Andre Coetzee beat Nicholas Williams via unanimous decision
-
Fight 10 – Men’s Flyweight (52.3kg–56.7kg): Ubaidullah Abrahams beat Abdu-Raziq Esau via TKO in Round 2
-
Fight 9 – Men’s Strawweight (48.3kg–52.2kg): Buhle Miso beat Adriano Bock via unanimous decision
-
Fight 8 – Men’s Middleweight (77.2kg–83.8kg): Elgreat Light Eze beat Abdul Tchoufon via KO in Round 1
-
Fight 7 – Men’s Lightweight (65.9kg–70.3kg): Ganief Jakoet beat Rezaar Wyngaard via armbar in Round 3
-
Fight 6 – Men’s Catchweight (63kg): Fikile Mbane beat Umir Abrahams via unanimous decision
Early Preliminary Youth Card
-
Fight 5 – Youth A Featherweight (61.3kg–65.8kg): Ashiq Rhode beat Jacob Gumedi via unanimous decision
-
Fight 4 – Youth A Featherweight (61.3kg–65.8kg): Johnathan Erasmus beat Brandon Devenish via guillotine in Round 1
-
Fight 3 – Youth A Bantamweight (56.8kg–61.2kg): Yordanis Hernandez Sampre beat Aqib Rhode via unanimous decision
-
Fight 2 – Youth B (Under 69kg): Waylon Beukes beat Leonidas Baroutsos via armbar in Round 1
-
Fight 1 – Youth B (Under 65kg): Michael Daniel beat Glodi Kayembe via unanimous decision
