Seven-second knockout for Gqeberha MMA prospect

It took Kevin Pretorius just seven seconds to dispatch his opponent in spectacular fashion when he made his pro mixed martial arts (MMA) debut at the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) at the weekend. 

The highlight-reel knockout secured the 23-year-old from Gqeberha the record for the fastest knockout in the promotion’s lightweight division, and sets him up for a quick return to the ring.

He was matched against an experienced kickboxer in Tshepo Majuba, known for his kick-heavy fighting style.

But heading into the fight, Pretorius knew he had to pressure Majuba from the get go and keep him on the back foot.

In the opening exchange, he had Majuba running backwards and caught him right at the end of a flush right hook.

The punch clipped Majuba’s jaw and he fell to the canvas.

 “Everything just fell into place perfectly.

“I expected a dogfight from a very tough opponent, and I just focused on executing our game plan.

“I felt the punch land, and I was very surprised when I saw Majuba drop like that.

“It landed clean, and he was out,” Pretorius said.

The young prospect from The Pride Academy, under the tutelage of professional heavyweight fighter Ivan Strydom, almost withdrew from the fight due to a lingering knee injury, but said he was glad he had pushed through and made his debut in the fashion that he did.

“Obviously we want to get back to training as soon as possible.

“We are talking to the guys at EFC and I hope to get back in the cage by September.”

Strydom said his protégé had the potential to make big waves on the MMA scene, and they did not want to keep him on the bench for too long.

“His debut was amazing and we want to keep that momentum going now.

“Obviously he didn’t take any damage during the fight, but we’ll take some time to take a good look at his knee.

“He’ll probably return in the second half of the year once he’s made a full recovery.”

Strydom himself is looking for a quick return to the cage after his last bout in March ended with his opponent, Willem Smith, breaking his own leg while kicking Strydom in the shin after only 27 seconds of the first round.

“I saw him throw a jab from about two metres away.

“I knew this was a fake punch to set up a kick, so I planted my foot and turned my leg outward.

“His leg just snapped when it made contact with my shin, and the fight was stopped.”

Strydom, 39, said he was slowly winding down his career, but would like to end on a high and make one last run at a possible title shot.

“The heavyweight division is thin, so if I can secure a few more fights quickly I might just have a shot.

“But we’ll take it one fight at a time.”

He is set to return to the cage in June.

Besides securing the win on debut, Pretorius had twice the reason to celebrate after his long-time girlfriend, Michaela Ross, said yes to his marriage proposal later that evening when they returned to their hotel from the fight venue.

“Michaela is an integral part of my training and fight preparation, and I could not think of a better way to celebrate my win.

“The guys from EFC and Michaela’s mom, Belita Nel, were amazing.

“They helped me set everything up so I could focus on my preparation for the fight.

“Now I have twice the reason to celebrate,” Pretorius said.

HeraldLIVE