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ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3 returns to Nairobi on 19 September with six African nations colliding
ANZA MMA Pro Nights is back, returning to Nairobi on Saturday, 19 September 2026, as ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3 bringing some of Africa’s most exciting Mixed Martial Arts talent to Village Market for an international 8-fight showcase featuring fighters from Kenya, Angola, Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar and South Sudan. With 8 fights across the main card and preliminaries, Pro Nights 3 is shaping up to be one of Nairobi’s biggest nights of African MMA, bringing together established fighters, rising prospects and international matchups for an evening of explosive action and unforgettable moments. rocore.sbs
The full main card features:
- George Itumo (Kenya) vs Jorge Correia (Angola) — Bantamweight
- Rashid Mlegelo (Tanzania) vs Kennedy Serunyange (Uganda) — Featherweight
- Brian Munyi (Kenya) vs Cyplian Katumba (Uganda) — Featherweight
- Kevin Odongo (Kenya) vs Kasozi Umaru (Uganda) — Heavyweight
The preliminary card adds:
- Alhassan Mosala (South Sudan) vs Michael Olara (Uganda) — Middleweight
- Lawrence Mukiibi (Uganda) vs Tsinjo Rakotomaria (Madagascar) — Lightweight
- Daniela Mandanji (Angola) vs Rebecca Amongi (Uganda) — Flyweight
- Chris Tibenda (Tanzania) vs Farouk Ogwal (Uganda) — Flyweight
In Nairobi, MMA has increasingly become the place to be, bringing together the worlds of sport, entertainment, music and culture. ANZA MMA Pro Nights has established a reputation for high-level MMA, explosive finishes and an electric live atmosphere, creating an experience that extends beyond the fights and brings together athletes, fans, creatives and culture-shapers under one roof.
The international competition is at the heart of the card, with Kenyan fighters facing opponents from across the continent. At the top of the bill is Kenyan star Itumo, who faces Angola’s Correia in a bantamweight clash. Itumo will be looking to make the most of home advantage against tough international opposition. There is also an intriguing subplot to the matchup: his only professional defeat to date came against another Angolan fighter, giving him an opportunity to put together a statement performance against Angolan opposition.
Joining Itumo on the main card are Kenyan standouts Munyi and Odongo, both coming off spectacular performances at ANZA Pro 002. Munyi earned his place on the next big stage after producing one of the most memorable finishes of the previous event. He knocked his opponent out after a breathtaking throw, earning the KO of the Night bonus and immediately announcing himself as one of the fighters to watch in the ANZA MMA ranks.
Then there is Odongo — the “King of TKO.” At Pro 002, Odongo produced a heart-stopping finish against a tough 116kg Congolese opponent, stopping the massive heavyweight in the final moments of the third round. The dramatic finish earned him Fight of the Night and cemented his reputation as one of the most dangerous finishers on the roster. Now both fighters step up to the main card at Pro Nights 3.
Another major attraction is Daniela Mandanji of Angola, the Amateur MMA World Champion, who will make her highly anticipated professional debut against Uganda’s Amongi at flyweight.
Mandanji’s debut gives fans a chance to witness the beginning of a professional career that arrives with an impressive amateur pedigree.
MMA is rapidly becoming one of Nairobi’s most exciting live experiences, attracting elite athletes, celebrities, musicians and a growing new generation of fans, with ANZA MMA at the centre of the movement. Its events have drawn leading entertainment names including Bien, Boutross, Savara and Nvirrii, while international attention has grown through Yemi Alade’s recent video featuring Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy. The connection continues at Pro Nights 3, with Alhassan Mosala, featured in the video, facing Uganda’s Olara at middleweight, reflecting MMA’s growing place within Nairobi’s wider sports, entertainment and cultural scene.
Pro Nights 3 will be an immersive live experience, explosive action, music, entertainment and 8 of the best fights representing international African MMA. From the walkouts and roaring crowd to the intensity of the cage, fans can expect an unforgettable night whether they come to support Kenya’s fighters, discover emerging African talent or simply experience the energy of MMA live.
Get your tickets to experience ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3 live here.
ANZA MMA is East Africa’s premier mixed martial arts promotion and Kenya’s first licensed MMA promotion under the Kenya Oriental Combat Sports Federation. After hosting Kenya’s first professionally sanctioned MMA event in 2025, following multiple amateur events, ANZA MMA staged Pro Nights 002 in 2026 and now returns with its third professional event this September. Its events have featured elite fighters from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, drawing more than 1,000 fans and helping build a strong pathway for African fighters from amateur competition to the professional ranks.
The post ANZA MMA Pro Nights 3 returns to Nairobi on 19 September with six African nations colliding appeared first on SportsAfrica - Sports news | Live scores | Match highlights | Betting tips.
‘I have never coached that’: Daan Human offended by claims Springboks walk around scrum
Springbok scrum coach Daan Human said he had taken offence at accusations that the national team had been scrumming illegally on purpose.
Claims that the Springboks had been ‘walking around’ scrums emerged following the Boks’ 33-26 win over the All Blacks in Cape Town, which levelled the four-match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at 1-1.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said he had made enquiries with World Rugby for clarity around the matter, while Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus argued that in six years this was the first time these accusations had been made.
‘We don’t want to do it’
Human likewise disputed the claims in the strongest terms.
“Walking around… I can promise you one thing: I have never coached that,” Human said on Tuesday.
“We want to go forward… never walking around. It’s not ideal for us. We don’t want to do it.”
He said he had been hurt by the accusations because he had always tried to coach technique that was “100% by the book”.
“That is the way I have been brought up on the farm. I don’t want to say cheat or walk around.
“We never work like that and I will never coach that. We will work even harder to be precise in what we are doing. It must be legal, straightforward dominance.”
Springboks target scrum dominance
The Springboks enjoyed that dominance, especially in the first Test at Ellis Park until about the 55th minute, when referee Matthew Carley ruled Gerhard Steenekamp had ‘walked around’ during their third set-piece in front of the All Blacks’ posts.
Momentum swung from that moment, and New Zealand turned their 19-16 lead into a 33-16 win.
The scrums were more closely contested in the second Test in Cape Town, though there were periods when the Springboks found dominance.
Referee Angus Gardner kept a close eye on scrums and ensured the teams maintained the hooker ‘brake foot’ rule where other referees had been lenient in the past.
Still, Human said Gardner had been consistent, and had had a word with both teams about what was required before the match.
However, the outside noise, particularly on social media, since then, was troubling.
“It’s looking like every second guy is becoming our scrum coach,” Human joked before saying this was good because the game was open to the public, who were entitled to their opinions.
“The scrum is very important in our team. It’s part of our culture, and I suppose it’s part of the [country’s culture].”
The Bok assistant coach said he would love to hear South African fans chant ‘scrum, scrum’ the way Norway’s football fans chant and perform their viking ‘Ro! Ro!’.
“I can assure you that sometimes one thing [causes] another, and it might happen. Obviously we are not perfect.
“We try to take it right through the middle, straightforward, obviously according to the laws, and show the referee a dominant picture on both sides.”
Counter-Strike 2 vs. Call of Duty: How does the meta determine which esport is best?
The most effective tactics (the meta) in esports heavily influence how certain titles are played. Whether it’s a game-changing update impacting popular weaponry in a first-person shooter or an overpowered champion in a MOBA receiving a nerf, the world’s top players are constantly adapting in a bid to gain the upper hand over the opposition.
Call of Duty’s competitive meta is an outlier in the wider esports ecosystem. Thanks to the first-person shooter’s annual release cycle, players have to master an entirely new weapon arsenal, maps, and movement mechanics every year. On the other side of the genre, Counter-Strike’s meta is built on subtler changes that don’t require players to relearn spray control or navigate the battlefield effectively.
With both titles using drastically different philosophies to inject a breath of fresh air into their competitive ecosystems, we take a closer look at how both metas have evolved and the wider impact it has across their respective communities.
Counter-Strike evolves at a different pace
Instead of issuing sweeping weapon balance changes and economy adjustments, Valve makes incremental updates to the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) meta. The most recent adjustment came in the form of Cache’s return to the Active Duty map pool in July 2026, replacing Overpass, which only lasted a year.
Cache was absent from Active Duty for seven years before its long-awaited return. The swap with Overpass came as no surprise to the community. The map only featured 13 times at the IEM Cologne Major during Stage 3 and the playoffs, joining Nuke in joint-fourth place.
While the change to the Active Duty map pool is only a subtle adjustment, it impacts the scene even before teams take to the server. The map veto process is a key component of Counter-Strike esports, and a new map thrown into the mix ahead of big tournaments can force rosters into embracing the new addition or throwing an instant ban if they’re not comfortable competing on it yet.
Rather than nerfing the AK-47 or adding more bullets into the magazine of the AWP, a map change requires teams to create new strategies, adding a further layer of depth to just buying the best weapons at the start of the round.
Changes to CS2’s economy also play a pivotal role in the meta evolution. A 2021 study reveals how teams’ spending decisions influence the likelihood of winning a match, emphasizing the importance of decision-making beyond scoring kills.
The July update for CS2 introduced a team-wide reward for the CTs, with each elimination scored by the defenders adding $50 to the total of each team member, regardless of the round outcome. As a result, CTs now have greater flexibility when executing strategies. Scoring late-round exits for some extra cash is now viable alongside force buys with weaker weaponry.
Subtle changes have often been successful, but there are instances where Valve’s weapon balancing has upset the balance. In 2018, a price reduction for the AUG saw it dominate the CT meta.
Almost a year into the AUG dominance, rifler Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke was among several players to share his frustrations: “CS was better without AUG. Just a solid fact.”
Brazilian CS legend Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo even ran out of ideas as to how it could be balanced for competitive play: “I ran out of ideas on how to balance it. Fact is, terrorists now have a hard time trying to strafe and find kills when opening areas because one error is fatal.”
The stale meta eventually came to an end in June 2019, with Valve nerfing the AUG, lowering its fire rate and accuracy while unscoped.
Call of Duty’s hard reset and player influence
In contrast to Valve’s subtle adjustments, Activision’s tradition of releasing a new Call of Duty title every year displays a drastic evolution of the meta. 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 produced a significantly slower pace of play, while 2025’s Black Ops 7 fine-tuned Omnimovement for the most fluid movement mechanics ever seen in the franchise.
The ability to sprint, dive, and slide in all directions was a significant change from the linear movement of previous titles. Combined with wall-jumping in Black Ops 7, players were quick to master an entirely new way of traversing the map in addition to uncovering a wealth of crafty sightlines.
The upcoming launch of Modern Warfare 4 takes movement mechanics in another direction, where Omnimovement won’t be featured. Faster traversal mechanics ensure the pace of play remains high, while new weaponry is expected to completely redefine player roles.
Beyond the core mechanics, the professionals competing at the highest level also influence what is deemed viable for competitive play. Instead of relying on changes made by the developer, players often introduce a set of unofficial restrictions known as the Gentlemen’s Agreement (GA), which I’ve discussed extensively in the past.
Ranging from restricting the amount of utility used in Search and Destroy to the maximum number of times players can crouch up and down in a duel with an opponent, the GA aims to further optimize Call of Duty for esports.
The intent behind the GA makes sense. Players and fans want the most competitive version of Call of Duty to be played, even if it comes at the cost of restricting almost all multiplayer items that are familiar to the casual audience. However, the result of a stale meta often generates frustration among fans and players.
The most controversial meta change came days before the 2020 CDL Championship. In a weapon tuning update, Infinity Ward changed the performance of the MP5 submachine gun, much to the annoyance of the teams preparing to compete for the $4.6 million prize pool.
“They’re 100000000000% taking the p*ss out of us,” wrote former London Royal Ravens player Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall on social media.
3 million $ on the line this upcoming weekend, the MP5 has been messed with (the most important gun) they’re 100000000000% taking the piss out of us
— skrapz (@skrapzg) August 25, 2020https://t.co/cy46CHmiYQ
Ex-Los Angeles Guerrillas player and two-time world champion Patrick “Aches” Price is no stranger to criticizing Infinity Ward’s questionable balancing.
He tweeted in 2020: “It’s coming to that time of year where IW realizes that their weapon balance has been very poor and they address it for the remainder of the year (Ghosts MTAR nerf/Vector buff, Infinite Warfare ERAD buff). 4 MP5s isn’t fun to play or an entertaining meta.”
To alleviate frustrations, some fans have suggested an independent governing body to prevent players from restricting items just a few hours after a new title has launched.
Call of Duty’s approach to meta evolution certainly has its benefits. A reset at the start of a new season prevents the scene from growing stale, while new mechanics open the door for new up-and-comers looking to earn their stripes on the main stage.
Compared to Counter-Strike, Call of Duty’s meta evolves faster due to the franchise’s two-pronged approach. A new release packed with innovation, paired with another set of maps, game modes, and spawn characteristics to master, sparks a change across the whole scene, at the cost of a competitive cost that’s always going to depreciate by the end of the season.
Call of Duty vs. Counter-Strike: Which meta pattern is better?
Thanks to its ability to compound competitive knowledge and make subtle changes with wide-ranging impacts on competition, Counter-Strike’s meta is superior to Call of Duty. A few changes make the shooter simple for fans to understand, while teams can develop long-term philosophies that enable them to establish periods of dominance that often transcend esports.
The lack of drastic mechanical changes allows players to become masters of their craft, perfecting every spray pattern and smoke line-up, knowing that their actions will always have a set outcome.
Even without the seismic changes that Call of Duty delivers every year, Counter-Strike’s approach to evolving the meta results in a minimal skill gap where fine margins determine the difference between victory and defeat.
While Call of Duty’s approach can deliver a new competitive environment with regular updates influencing the meta, the heavy reliance on the GA and the chance of a new title launching in a poor competitive state will always make it inferior to Counter-Strike.
The post Counter-Strike 2 vs. Call of Duty: How does the meta determine which esport is best? appeared first on Esports Insider.
Bulls take tradition into tomorrow
The Vodacom Bulls away kit for the 2026-27 season was revealed on Tuesday.
The “Tradition into Tomorrow” kit, featuring distinctive teal and navy colourways, is inspired by iconic 1990s sporting apparel which featured a striking combination of bold colours and geometric shapes.
According to kit manufacturers Puma, the design graphic on the kit transforms into flowing organic patterns that express a fluidity of movement, while the retro-futuristic design captures the team’s proud legacy, dynamism and commitment to pushing boundaries on and off the pitch.
The design carries over onto the replica training jerseys available to fans in either light blue and yellow or in navy and pink – the later look echoes the iconic pink Bulls jersey in 2012.
The post Bulls take tradition into tomorrow appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Pape Matar Sarr s’engage officiellement avec la Juventus
La Juventus renforce son milieu de terrain avec l’arrivée de Pape Matar Sarr. Le club turinois a officialisé ce mardi le recrutement de l’international sénégalais, en provenance de Tottenham.
Le joueur de 23 ans rejoint la Vieille Dame sous la forme d’un prêt jusqu’au 30 juin 2027, pour un montant de 2,5 millions d’euros, auquel s’ajoutent 300 000 euros de frais annexes.
L’accord entre les deux clubs prévoit également une possible arrivée définitive du Sénégalais. Une clause de 27,5 millions d’euros a été intégrée à l’opération, avec un paiement prévu sur trois exercices.
La levée définitive de cette option est toutefois soumise à certaines conditions, notamment liées au temps de jeu du joueur et à une éventuelle qualification européenne de la Juventus.
Après plusieurs saisons en Premier League sous le maillot de Tottenham, Pape Matar Sarr s’apprête donc à relever un nouveau défi en Italie. Passé auparavant par le FC Metz, le milieu sénégalais s’est progressivement fait une place chez les Spurs et a dépassé la barre des 100 rencontres dans le championnat anglais. À Turin, il apportera sa mobilité, son volume de jeu et sa polyvalence au milieu de terrain.
The post Pape Matar Sarr s’engage officiellement avec la Juventus appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.