I have officially become one of those unhinged fans I warned you about in my previous article. the ones who show up for the chaos, the violence, and the theatre of it all.
Less than a month after my first MMA night (where I questioned whether adult supervision was needed), I was back, this time on December 5th at Broadwalk Mall for KO Fight Night by ANZA MMA. Kenya’s first-ever professionally sanctioned MMA event. History will remember me as being there, not quite cage-side, but definitely screaming (not literally) for blood and violence (also not literally).
The venue itself was a massive upgrade from The Alchemist. Broadwalk Mall provided the space this sport deserves, with proper staging and seating that didn’t require you to fight other spectators (that much) for a view. The broadcast setup was serious too, with commentary from Julio DeSouza, who is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and co-founder of Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy, and hosting by Alex Holi.
And then the cage closed… fighters from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania stepped into the cage, turning it into a proper regional showdown. Every single one of the seven fights ended in a finish, and not one fight went to the judges.
Tanzania struck first when Rashidi Mlegelo submitted Uganda’s Justin Okot in Round 1 via a rear-naked choke. After that, it seemed like Uganda had come to take everything home.
In this night of firsts, there was also another first as Kenya’s first-ever professional women’s MMA fight took place, with Uganda’s Annet Rose Kiiza defeating Kenya’s Rael Ashubwe with a Round 2 TKO, ground and pound.
Uganda closed the prelims strong as Moses Musisi submitted Kenya’s Joakim Ikalakala in Round 2 with the infamous Mother’s Milk choke. (Msamiati nini nini)
Then, during the breaks, Nviiri the Storyteller and Boutross kept the crowd entertained and recharged them for the fights ahead. (We see the vision).
The main cards started with Tanzania’s Dauda Rajabu, who secured a first-round triangle choke submission against Uganda’s Farouk Ogwal and earned himself Submission of the Night honors.
Kelvin Odongo kept things interesting as he almost ran Uganda’s Jonani Tugume out of the cage with an explosive first-round TKO, earning the KO of the Night bonus.
George Itumo, also representing Kenya, followed with another first-round TKO via ground and pound against Uganda’s Joel Ssemanda.
The crowd was losing it by this time, with the Colosseum energy seemingly multiplied by 10. The fans definitely fed off of each other’s energy with the gasps at near-submissions, the roars at clean strikes, and the chants as they cheered on their favorites.
The main event was a featherweight event which featured Kenya’s Ouhsummer Ali Abad defeating Uganda’s Stephen Rackara with a first-round TKO via ground and pound.
A perfect ending to a perfect night. From developing the amateur scene to now hosting professional fights with international production standards and bringing together fighters from across the region, Anza MMA has built something real here.
The event was supported by Kenya Originals (of course, keeping that KO branding consistent), Açaí Oasis, You C.1000 Drinks, MMA Gold, and HustleSasa. And according to Chen, there are more amateur and pro fights planned for next year in Nairobi and different regions across the country.
You just had to be there.
