Angu Lesley Ngwa Akonwi
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
Cameroonian featherweight Emilios Dassi is preparing for the biggest fight of his young MMA career, but he is taking a markedly different approach from many of his peers — one grounded in calm and focus rather than emotion or strategy against his opponent.
The 22-year-old will compete in the PFL Africa semifinals, which take place in Kigali, Rwanda, featuring 22 fighters from across the continent. Among them are five Cameroonians: Maxwell Djantou, Octave Ayinda, Emilios Dassi, Alain Majorique, and Emmanuel Mukam — all part of the new generation of African mixed martial arts talent. Winners of the semifinals will advance to the finals in Benin this December, where the first-ever PFL Africa champions will be crowned.
For Dassi, the key to success is composure.
“I haven’t spent time studying my opponent,” he says. “I focused on myself — watching my past fights, identifying mistakes, improving. That’s what will show in the cage.”
The fighter views pressure as weakness. “If you’re under pressure in the cage, that’s weakness. You have to keep your calm,” he explains. Every move, from punches to takedowns, is executed deliberately — controlled, efficient, and focused.
Adding to the high stakes, Dassi will fight in front of his mentor and idol, Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion and a key figure behind PFL Africa. But for Dassi, the presence of Ngannou is not intimidating — it is motivating.
“Fighting in front of my mentor is not pressure but motivation,” he says. “Knowing that he’s watching gives me confidence and joy. I can’t afford to make mistakes, so I stay really, really focused.”
Unlike fighters who thrive on emotion or trash talk, Dassi treats the cage as a mirror. “Keep calm. Stay focused. That’s how I fight,” he adds. His approach underscores a growing professionalism among African MMA athletes, many of whom are beginning to make their mark on global stages.
PFL Africa: A platform for African MMA
PFL Africa is part of the Professional Fighters League, a global MMA organization known for its unique “win and advance” tournament format. The league, which broadcasts to 190 countries through 20 media partners, has rapidly grown into a major international sports platform, backed by high-profile investors and team owners across major leagues.
For Ngannou, the league represents more than business: it is a homegrown opportunity for African talent to showcase itself on African soil. “Seeing fighters like Emilios Dassi grow and compete at this level is exactly why we started PFL Africa,” Ngannou has said.
As the Kigali crowd prepares for the semifinals, all eyes will be on fighters like Dassi, whose calm under pressure could prove to be their most potent weapon.
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