Power Play: Africa's combat sports boom unpacked

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, boasting over  675 million fans globally. Demographically, MMA's fan base is predominantly young, with an average age ranging from 18 to 35 and enjoys a growing female fanbase segment. African audiences are no strangers to MMA, and the Professional Fighters League’s upcoming inaugural PFL Cape Town event sends a strong signal on the appetite for combat sports on the continent. Alongside such household names, a new generation of African entrepreneurs is tapping into the opportunity of Africa’s MMA fanbase and focusing on developing strong local content to growth the sports. From traditional combat sports like Dambe to globally styled MMA events, founders across the continent are building infrastructure, securing licenses, and capturing millions of views. Their strategy blends cultural authenticity with operational excellence, positioning combat sports not just as entertainment, but as viable assets for private capital, global media, and sports tech investors. With credible events, data-rich fanbases, and global brand alignment, MMA in Africa is starting to look less like a niche and more like a frontier.

HustleSasa is a Kenya-based mobile platform empowering African creators and event organizers to build online storefronts, manage payments, handle event ticketing, and access logisticxs and financing solutions. Founded by Peng Chen, Michael Denuh, and members of Sauti Sol, the company combines deep technical expertise with cultural insight to serve Africa’s growing creative economy. In 2024, HustleSasa processed over $4.5 million in transactions, issued more than 400,000 tickets, powered more than 1,800 live events, reached 150,000 unique buyers, garnered over 10 million page views, and provided more than $200,000 in cash advances to event organizers. The platform also secured third place and a $30,000 prize at NBA Africa’s inaugural Triple-Double Accelerator. 

Earlier this week, Peng Chen, co-founder of HustleSasa, hosted Kenya’s first licensed MMA event through their boxing promotions company ANZA MMA, marking a milestone that signals regulatory alignment in a sector long operating informally.

“Our approach has been multifaceted,” Chen explains. “We’ve invested in building regulatory trust, attracting investor interest, and laying the groundwork for long-term growth.” Chen’s credibility wasn’t built overnight. Over the past few years, HustleSasa has hosted 11 consecutive professional boxing events and maintained long-standing relationships with local governing bodies, such as the Kenyan Oriental Combat Sports Federation. This track record enabled the transition into MMA, arguably the most commercially viable combat sport globally.

To date, the effort has been self-funded. “We’ve covered everything from equipment to promotional costs,” Chen says. “It’s a strategic bet to demonstrate the viability of the market.”

Chen is banking on Kenya’s potential to follow in the footsteps of markets like Nigeria and South Africa, which have developed operational MMA ecosystems. Their coaching infrastructure, including partnerships with black belt BJJ talent like Julio De Souza, provides the talent pipeline needed to scale. “Our long-term goal is to become the partner of choice for international brands like UFC and PFL,” Chen notes. “But first, we have to prove that Kenya can produce world-class athletes and events.”

On the other side of the continent, in Nigeria, African Warriors Fighting Championship (AWFC) is scaling a traditional combat sport, Dambe, into a high-reach, high-engagement media product.  Founder Maxwell Kalu positions Dambe as a cultural export, akin to Afrobeats or Nollywood. “This is the sport equivalent. We’ve built something that travels. We have over 900 million views across our platforms with Brazil and the US as our top viewership markets outside of Nigeria ,” he says. Beyond audience validation, AWFC secured deals with sponsors like Stake.com and distribution partners like DAZN. These partnerships, along with proven digital demand, serve as key credibility markers for investors. Ibrahim Sagna, Executive Chairman of Silverbacks Holdings cited AWFC’s digital reach, global partnerships, and disciplined operations as proof that African combat sports can drive meaningful returns. “The AWFC investment exemplifies our thesis of backing tech-enabled, export-oriented businesses that unlock Africa’s untapped cultural and commercial potential,” Sagna said about Silverbacks Holdings’ recent investment in AWFC. “Combat sports resonate deeply across Africa’s diverse audiences, but they also offer compelling formats for sponsorship, content monetization, and fan engagement, that’s what makes them investable” he further explained.