Powered by world champion Kamaru Usman, Nigeria witnessed the first ever official Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) card at the Lagos Continental Hotel on Friday.

U.S.-based Usman, the UFC Welterweight Champion, partnered with AKO Show to stage the historic faceoff fight night in Nigeria. AKO Show, which had the first season of their show in 2020, has now launched an official MMA event.

The fights started with a knockout in Round 1 as Melvin “Nicotine” Ugochukwu finished Damilare “King Beast” Abdulraham. This was followed by a TKO victory for Jude “Big J” Ezegwu over Chidi “Resident Ninja” Nwankwo. The referee stopped the fight at the end of Round 2 due to the excessive damage the Ninja had taken throughout the round. 

In the third fight, Cornel “The Marine Boxer” Thompson wrestled his way to a dominant unanimous decision victory over Richard Onem. 

The co-main event was a rather dull affair as heavy favourite Emmanuel Onoja got a split decision over the elusive Richard Muzaan. In the main event, Daniel Emeka Eze made quick work of Togolese Aivor Komlan Mawuko as he unloaded a ferocious combination that left his opponent out stiff. 

The show was a well attended event with celebrities such as Burna Boy, Nedu, Chief Obi, Larry Gaga, Obi Cubana, Mr Funny, Tayo Aina, Poco Lee and many more watching from the ringside. 

Lagos State Sports Commission, which sanctioned the fight, said it would set up a MMA regulatory body.

A long overdue MMA revolution may have kicked off in Nigeria.