Nigeria’s Jane Osigwe etched her name in African Knockout history by capturing the women’s bantamweight interim championship title with a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Sanaa Mandar, as AKO 10 roared to life in Abuja.
It was a razor-thin battle, but Osigwe’s determination shone through as she walked away with the gold.
The championship drew a high-powered audience, with several distinguished figures in attendance, including the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, AKO President Kamaru Usman, Honourable Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and ambassadors representing Algeria, Cuba, Senegal, Cameroon, and Morocco.
The most dramatic finish of the evening came from Jean “The Black Panther” Do Santos, who stunned the arena and the MMA world with a flying knee that knocked out Nigeria’s Jibrin Baba in just five seconds. The electrifying finish not only crowned him the first-ever AKO lightweight champion but also set a new record for the fastest knockout in AKO history.
Senegal’s Gasmire Diatta also captured the interim featherweight title with a crushing TKO over Angola’s Andre Mukisi at 1:30 of Round 2, cementing his status as one of Africa’s rising stars.
Another Nigerian, Yahaya Yahuza, reminded fans why he is one of the brightest stars on the rise. With relentless pace and precision, he outworked Cherif Drame across three rounds to claim a dominant unanimous decision victory, keeping his undefeated record intact in front of an adoring home crowd.
Other fights in the cage delivered equally explosive outcomes: In the women’s bantamweight division, Joy Obanla gave the home fans something to cheer about with a sensational second-round TKO over Ufot Nelson at 4:38, marking her as a dominant force in her class.
Farouk Boudissa wasted no time, forcing Chukwuemerie Okoli into a rear-naked choke submission just 1:12 into the first round, while Fouad Madani imposed his will on Nigeria’s Sodiq Amao, securing another rear-naked choke victory at 3:24 of Round 1.
Zimbabwe’s Lewis Mataya, stopped Ivory Coast’s Prince Mensan with a brutal TKO at 4:49 of Round 2, a finish that had the crowd on its feet.
In a gritty middleweight contest, Cameroon’s Cabrel Fongno emerged victorious after earning a judge’s technical decision when Memon Kone was unable to continue following a groin strike.
