Ndebele Survived Hokonya’s Pressure to Reach the PFL Africa
Nkosi Ndebele defeated Simbarashe Hokonya by split decision in the PFL Africa bantamweight semifinal on October 18, 2025, at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. Two judges favored Ndebele 29–28, while the third scored all three rounds for Hokonya at 30–27.
A low kick gave the unbeaten challenger an immediate opening
Hokonya put Ndebele down with a low kick early, then kept working kicks and forward pressure. The opening exchanges quickly showed that the former regional champion would face a demanding semifinal.
Ndebele had advanced by beating Mahmoud Atef, while Hokonya had upset Frans Mlambo. Their tournament routes met with a place opposite Karim Henniene in the championship final at stake.
Back control became an important second-round advantage
After another sequence of kicks and clinch work, Ndebele secured a trip and worked through Hokonya’s guard. He advanced to the back and threatened a rear-naked choke.
Hokonya defended the hands and avoided the submission, but Ndebele maintained the body lock through the end of the round. The exchange supplied a significant spell of control in a close fight.
The final round left the judges divided
Hokonya continued pressing in the third, while Ndebele answered with strikes and added a late takedown. Neither man produced a finish before the scheduled distance expired.
The split verdict ended Hokonya’s unbeaten run and advanced Ndebele to the December final in Benin. The wide disagreement between one card and the other two reflected how differently the judges assessed a competitive main event rather than a unanimous view of the action.
Sources
- PFL: round-by-round semifinal report
- Cageside Press: official split scorecards
- PFL Africa: Kigali event and final schedule
