Confirmed: Igeu Kabesa finally gets EFC lightweight title shot next month

The organisers on Thursday morning confirmed the Polokwane-based mixed martial arts veteran is set to take on Kaleka Kabanda in the main card at the Johannesburg Performance Institute on 11 April.

It’s a dream fulfilled for Kabesa, who told SABC Sport in an exclusive interview late last year that he wanted to go back to his roots.  

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“I had five fights at lightweight, and then I had the option [to change]. So, at the time, my teammate Temba Gorimbo dropped down from welterweight to lightweight to fight for the belt against Leon Mynhardt, which was supposed to be my spot, but I had the option to choose my division," explained Kabesa at the time.

“I want to be a two-division champion, I think it's an important thing for me as well. And, I'm also not a selfish guy, I want to give up the featherweight strap and I want my boy to jump in there, get himself some gold and let him elevate himself in some way.”

Kabesa will not be relinquishing the featherweight belt just yet and his fight with Kabanda, which is now the main co-event alongside Luke Michael and JP Kruger, will propel him to EFC Hall of Fame status should he win.

Kabanda was meant to fight lightweight title holder Tshilomba Mikixi in December, but due to injury, he was unable to compete and forced to surrender the belt for his counterparts to now contest for it next month.

EFC also revealed that Mikixi would then get will get “an immediate shot at the winner”.