Exclusive: Abdoul Razac Sankara Set To Light Up PFL Africa ‘ It’s My Time’
PFL Africa touches down in Kigali, Rwanda, this weekend, with the East African nation playing host to some of the continent’s finest up-and-coming MMA talents. Headlining the event is a semi-final featherweight clash between Nigeria’s Patrick Ocheme and Burkina Faso’s Abdoul Razac Sankara.
The electrifying Sankara booked his ticket to Kigali with a stunning first-round KO victory over the Congo’s Shadrick Dju Yemba at PFL Africa 2 back in August.
On his promotional debut, Sankara, who entered the PFL as an alternate, made fans sit up and take notice after landing a picture-perfect question mark kick that sent Yemba crashing to the canvas. It was the type of strike that fighters dream about and quickly racked up thousands of online views.
However, for those familiar with Sankara’s background, the strike was no surprise, as the 24-year-old is a decorated Muay Thai fighter with national and AML world titles, now aiming to take the MMA world by storm in 2025.
“It was amazing for me, I mean, I don’t know how to explain this in words, but it was amazing,” Sankara explained, speaking to LowKickMMA about his win over Yemba.
Born in Burkina Faso, Sankara lives in Côte d’Ivoire but trains in Lomé, the capital of Togo, at Pitbull Gym. He fell in love with combat sports as a youth, and while boys his age dreamed of becoming footballers, martial arts was always Sankara’s passion.
“Since I was younger, I just liked fighting. I didn’t know how to play football, but I just love fighting. But when I was younger, I didn’t dream of being a fighter. But when I started training and did well, I decided to be a fighter. I feel good doing this, and it has become a big dream.”
Standing opposite Sankara when the cage doors close this weekend will be a fighter considered one of the favourites to take out the inaugural PFL Africa Featherweight Title. South Africa-based Ocheme comes into this bout on a five-fight winning streak, with three of those victories coming via KO.
However, while Sankara respects his opponent, he is confident he has what it takes to move on to the finals.
‘”I saw many, many videos of him. He is not too bad. He is a good fighter, but I’m the best,” Sankara said.
“So for me, it’s just about time, and now it’s my time. It’s Sankara’s time.”
