PFL Africa takes place this weekend in Kigali, Rwanda, as the East African nation welcomes some of the continent’s best up-and-coming MMA talent to action. The highlight of the event will be a featherweight semi-final fight between Nigeria’s Patrick Okeme and Burkina Faso’s Abdul Razak Sankara.
An impressive Sankara earned his ticket to Kigali with an impressive first-round knockout win over Congo’s Shadrick Dju Emba at PFL Africa 2 in August.
Sankara, who played in the PFL as a substitute, grabbed attention in his promotional debut with a picture-perfect question mark kick that sent Memba crashing to the canvas, bringing fans to their feet. It was the type of attack that fighters dream of, and it quickly garnered thousands of views online.
But for those familiar with Sankara’s career, the strike came as no surprise. The 24-year-old is a decorated Muay Thai fighter with national and AML world titles under his belt, and is now aiming to take the MMA world by storm in 2025.
“For me, it was amazing, I don’t know how to put this into words, but it was amazing,” Sankara told LowKickMMA about his win over Memba.
Born in Burkina Faso, Sankara lives in Ivory Coast but trains at Pitbull Gym in Lomé, the capital of Togo. He fell in love with martial arts as a boy, and while boys his age dreamed of becoming footballers, martial arts was always a passion for Sankara.
“Ever since I was young, I just loved fighting. I didn’t know how to play soccer, but I just loved fighting. But when I was young, I didn’t dream of becoming a fighter. But I started training and got good grades, so I decided to become a fighter. I felt good doing this and it became a big dream.”
Standing across from Sankara when the cage door closes this weekend is a fighter considered to be one of the favorites to win the inaugural PFL African Featherweight title. South African-based Okeme comes into this fight on a five-fight winning streak, three of which have come by knockout.
However, while Sankara respects his opponent, he is confident that he has what it takes to reach the final.
“I’ve watched a lot of his videos. He’s not that bad. He’s a good fighter, but I’m the best,” Sankara said.
“So, for me, the time has just come. And it’s my time. It’s Sankara’s time.”