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Kenya's fighters dominated ANZA MMA Amateur Fight Night 008 at The Alchemist, Nairobi. Full results, highlights & what's next for East African MMA.
East African mixed martial arts reached new heights on Sunday, 26 April 2026, as ANZA MMA's Amateur Fight Night 008 lit up The Alchemist in Westlands, Nairobi. The event delivered a showcase of elite regional MMA talent, with fighters from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Italy stepping into the cage to represent gyms including Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy, Mombasa Sharks, GAMMA Rwanda, Kigali BJJ, Guardian Uganda, Hardcore Gym, Tristar Gym Nairobi, Shadow Strikers and Kenya Wrestling Team.
The atmosphere was electric, drawing passionate combat sports fans alongside high-profile guests: government representatives from Kenya's Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports — Deputy Director of Sports Joel Atuti and his counterpart Mr. Muriithi — as well as PFL Africa Director of Marketing and Operations Daniel Kijo, and Kenya's own rising global MMA star Felista Mugo, fresh off a dominant victory at PFL Pretoria.
Eight of the nine bouts ended before the judges were needed — by submission, TKO, or KO — making ANZA MMA Fight Night 008 one of the most action-packed nights in East African MMA history. Every fighter came to finish.
In the featherweight main event, Kenya's Samuel Laurian of Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy delivered a commanding submission victory over Rwanda's Jonathan Ntakirutimana of GAMMA Rwanda. The performance underlined Kenya's growing dominance in regional MMA and the technical depth emerging from Nairobi's fight gyms.
The welterweight co-main event served up a thrilling rematch as Italy's Lorenzo Cardanelli, representing Kigali BJJ, once again submitted Kenya's Amos Eboso — mirroring their first encounter at the inaugural ANZA MMA event back in June 2025. Credit to Eboso for returning stronger, while Cardanelli proved his submission game remains elite at this level.
One of the night's most explosive moments came courtesy of lightweight fighter Shadrack Otieno, who secured a rear-naked choke stoppage in just 30 seconds over Rwanda's Aman Niyigena. It was the kind of blistering finish that reminds fans why amateur MMA in East Africa is catching global attention.
The main card closed with a charged flyweight bout that saw Jared Otieno lose to Uganda's Shaffik Assuma by disqualification — a dramatic conclusion that kept the crowd buzzing well into the night.
The prelims set the tone with high-intensity action throughout. Matthew Lwano earned a bantamweight decision win over Maina Morgan in the evening's only fight to go the distance. Steve Munyi delivered a sharp TKO finish over Kamya Pison, while Martin Mwanza rounded out the prelims with a TKO victory over Djibril Binego. Eric Ngari stopped Gordon Juma by KO and Kennedy Adaki submitted Eugine Oyugi to complete an impressive preliminary card.
ANZA MMA wasted no time looking ahead. The promotion has confirmed its next professional event on 6 June 2026 at The Broadwalk Mall, Nairobi. The card promises to be a landmark moment for East African MMA, featuring top Kenyan stars Ouhsummer Ali Abad, Kevin Odongo, Georgi Itumo and rising prospect Alhassan Mosala. Fighters from Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan will all converge on Nairobi for what looks set to be a regional celebration of professional mixed martial arts. Tickets to ANZA MMA Pro Fight II
ANZA MMA continues to build the infrastructure, competition and opportunities needed to elevate East African fighters onto the global MMA stage — and events like Fight Night 008 prove the talent is already here.
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