When Gift ‘The Day’ Walker put on the performance of his life to take the EFC Flyweight title late last year, the name of his first possible challenger was already crossing the lips of the media at the post-event press-conference. One of those names was the current bantamweight champion, Nkazimulo ‘King Shaka’ Zulu, the lower-weight division’s most decorated mixed-martial artist who many moons ago, also held aloft the very same 125lb belt now adorning the waist of the undefeated and newly minted champion Walker.
With the same ferocious intent with which he became the EFC’s first bi-divisional champ, a feat also replicated by current teammate and now UFC Middleweight Champion – Dricus du Plessis, Zulu wants to make history once more by taking back the belt he rightly sees as his, before beating the well-worn CIT-signposted path from Pretoria to Las Vegas.
One slight problem, however, is the nature and raw talent of the undefeated Walker, who barely flinched at the mention of Zulu’s name that steamy September evening and veritably welcomed a showdown with a legend and the opportunity to take yet another major scalp in feathering the nest of his own impressive highlight reel. Walker has yet to leave a single one of his professional fights in the hands of the judges, putting away every opponent the EFC have placed opposite from him in the Hexagon. Thanks to a superb grappling offense, finely-honed by coach and mentor JP Kruger who himself competes next month at EFC 112 for Luke Michael’s middleweight title, Walker has also displayed devastating knockout power against more experienced international opponents.
Even though the challenger Zulu has 16 more fights than the champion Walker, in some truly jaw-dropping odds, World Sports Betting currently has the undefeated incumbent as a significant favourite whilst a flutter on ‘King Shaka’ would more than double the punters wager.* With Zulu over the years having finished athletes like Joshua, Alves, Biko, Ninow, Chipfumbu, Doyle, Groenewald and Weyer, and now training with undoubtedly the greatest fight team on the continent, the outside line on the current 135lb champ Zulu is really quite remarkable.
As the combat sports world turns its focus to African MMA following the incredible success of former EFC champion Dricus du Plessis with the UFC Middleweight belt now residing in South Africa, EFC 111 officially sets the continental season of 2024 underway with a stacked undercard setting the stage for 5 superb main card bouts including the monumental title clash, to kick-off a year which is set to be the promotions most spectacular in its vaunted 15-year history!
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