ONE Championship 156: Bokang Masunyane aims to become first MMA champion ‘born and raised in Africa’
- Masunyane will fight Jarred Brooks this Friday in Singapore, with a shot at strawweight champion Joshua Pacio on the line
- South African believes Brooks is ‘one of the best fighters in the world’ but is ‘as well-prepared as possible’ for the challenge
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.”