Bokang Masunyane is on a mission to become the first Africa-born fighter to win a major MMA title without moving overseas. The South African will take a big step toward that goal at ONE Championship 156 this Friday in Singapore, when he battles Jarred Brooks with a shot at strawweight champion Joshua Pacio hanging in the balance. “I’d like to be the first world champion coming out of Africa – born and raised in Africa,” the 27-year-old, ONE’s No 1-ranked strawweight contender, said ahead of his fight with the No 2-ranked Brooks. “It’s that time.” Over the last few years, we’ve seen several Africa-born fighters capture major MMA titles, most notably UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, and UFC welterweight king Francis Ngannou. Yet Cameroon’s Ngannou had emigrated to France before he ever set foot in an MMA gym, while Nigeria’s Adesanya and Usman moved to New Zealand and the United States respectively as children, long before they won their titles. What sets Masunyane (8-0) apart is that he still lives and trains in South Africa. He believes he can achieve championship glory from his home country, and aims to shine the spotlight on other MMA talent across the African continent in the process. “I don’t feel pressure,” he said. “[This is] something I’ve been doing my entire life. It’s something I’ve always wanted to be doing. The only pressure I feel, of course, is this is bigger than myself.” “I’m fighting for Africa. I’m fighting for a lot of fighters in Africa to be recognised. That’s the pressure I feel behind me.” Defeating the long-reigning champion Pacio to win ONE Championship strawweight gold will not be an easy feat for Masunyane – nor will beating the hard-nosed American wrestler Brooks (18-2) this Friday in Singapore. ONE Championship 156 preview: five storylines to watch The South African’s two-year hiatus from competition – the result of stringent international travel restrictions during the pandemic – makes the task ahead look all the more daunting. Yet he feels prepared for the challenge. “When I was gone [Brooks] was winning a lot of fights,” he said. “He’s in one of the best promotions for a reason. He’s in ONE Championship, he’s No 2-ranked, so I know he’s one of the best fighters in the world. But I believe I’m also at that stage. I’m the No 1 ranked at the moment. I believe that my skills will be better than Jarred.” “For me it’s just another day. I’ve got myself well-prepared for the fight. I know I’m fighting one of the toughest guys in the division and so I had to get myself as well-prepared as possible.” Masunyane did not make a specific prediction for the fight, but promised to win by any means necessary. “At the end of the day it’s a fight,” he said. “It’s not like we play WWE, we are actually getting in the cage. You prepare to fight someone, and someone prepares to fight against you.” “I’m ready for anything. I’ve worked hard my entire life for these opportunities. When the cage door closes it’s all-in.”