• Mixed martial arts promotion the EFC has now added fintech Mukuru as a sponsor.
• Mukuru branding will now be included on the Hexagon upon which fighters will battle for supremacy.
• The deal marks a milestone for the EFC, the continent’s biggest combat sports league, which says it is having a banner year in 2024.

South Africa’s mixed martial arts organisation, the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC), has announced a new partnership with local fintech firm Mukuru. Fans of MMA will now see Mukuru branding splayed across the promotion’s patented “Hexagon” upon which fighters will beat the tar out of each other starting on the EFC 111 event.

Nothing says facilitating cross-border payments like being choked out in a puddle of your own blood, and the partnership represents yet another deal signed by the Johannesburg-based Mukuru. In November last year, the company struck a partnership with fellow local fintech Payfast.

“Mukuru is a brand that we have admired for many years, and we are thrilled to officially be partners,” enthused Cairo Howarth, President of EFC.

The company offers its financial solutions to over 13 million users across Africa, and now will be used by the EFC’s international roster. The promotion will also be including Mukuru branding on replays and corner cam segments between rounds.

Beyond a sponsorship agreement, Mukuru’s deal with the EFC represents a sign of growth for the South African promotion. South Africa has few significant sports leagues outside of football, rugby and cricket and the deal shows that there is a future for African combat sports. One that actually turns a profit and doesn’t die in a circus in Mpumalanga.

“EFC has experienced unprecedented reach and audience engagement through record-setting social media views, complemented with further traditional broadcast agreements, enhancing its already extensive television distribution with 2024 set to be the biggest in the company’s 15-year history,” the EFC says in a press statement sent to Hypertext.

“EFC and Mukuru are excited about the potential that this partnership holds for the growth of African athletes and the MMA industry,” the promotion adds.

[Image – EFC on X]