The AFC World Series Championships has lit up the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere with explosive Mixed Martial Arts action.
The tournament, which started on Thursday, is set to have featured over 100 fights by the final on Sunday.
The historic championship, sanctioned by the Nigerian MMA Federation, marks a significant milestone for the sport’s growth in Nigeria as the first private African promotion officially recognised as a continental ranking and scoring platform for MMA.
Founded by entrepreneur Raad Aswani, the event has received endorsements from the Nigerian MMA Federation, the National Sports Commission, the Lagos State Sports Commission, and the African MMA Confederation.
Sunday’s finale will see awards presented and athletes spotlighted in what organisers hope will be a significant step forward for MMA development in Africa.
In an exclusive interview on Saturday, Aswani said the milestone firmly positions Africa on the global combat sports map, with Nigeria poised to play a defining role in shaping its future.
“As an individual, I have always wanted to follow the footsteps of my grandfather, Ansani, who was a renowned trader in Nigeria. I want to contribute to sports and entertainment development. That inspired me to introduce this idea, tagged the ‘Next Contenders Programme and Beyond’,” Aswani said.
According to him, AFC is rewriting African combat sports by creating champions inside the cage while nurturing leaders, innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs outside it.
The four-day event has delivered on Aswani’s promise of explosive entertainment, featuring female bouts and four strawweight athletes among the 76 competitors who registered for the championships.
Winners at Sunday’s closing ceremony will receive medals directly from the NSC Chairman and the Director-General, symbolising the government’s strong support for the initiative.
Major international platforms have taken notice of the event, with collaborations already in place, according to Aswani.
NMMAF President Henry George said the event is sanctioned and supervised to ensure compliance with international rules, scoring systems, and safety standards.
He explained that MMA in Nigeria now has a standard guide ensuring safety and providing a ranking system for selecting national representatives.
“Our role is to supervise, maintain standards in scoring, and guide fighter progression from amateur to professional levels,” George said.
He noted that athletes would require a minimum of 10 fights before turning professional, with medical, regulatory, and safety standards strictly maintained.
UFC star Sodiq Yussuf, who is supporting the event, praised the initiative’s importance for developing the sport at the amateur level in Nigeria.
Yussuf, who regularly returns to Nigeria for charity work, identified areas for improvement in Nigerian MMA.
“There’s definitely raw talent in Nigeria. I always say Nigerians are always built strong, you know. They handle adversity very well, which is what a lot of this sport is, you know. But the only thing I would say is missing right now in Nigeria is just the technical aspects of wrestling and grappling,” he said.
