Watch: Abdoullah Kane Lands a Stunning 23-Second Head Kick Knockout at PFL Africa 3
Senegalese heavyweight Abdoullah Kane delivered one of the most devastating knockouts of 2025 on Saturday at PFL Africa 3 in Kigali, Rwanda. Kane needed just 23 seconds to finish Cameroon’s Emmanuel Mukam with a right head kick that left his opponent unconscious before hitting the canvas.
Abdoullah Kane Head Kick Knockout
The knockout finish came at the BK Arena in Kigali during the preliminary card of the semifinal event. Kane, competing as an alternate in the heavyweight division, wasted no time establishing his striking threat. The 27-year-old fighter from Senegal applied immediate forward pressure on Mukam, mixing punches with feints to set up his attack.
After landing a solid right hand, Kane executed a perfectly timed high kick that connected flush with the side of Mukam’s head. The impact sent Mukam crashing to the mat face-first in what observers quickly labeled a potential Knockout of the Year candidate. Kane showed restraint by walking away without following up with ground strikes, recognizing his opponent was already unconscious.
The victory moved Kane to 4-1 in his professional career and marked a significant rebound from his previous outing. At PFL Africa 1 in July, Kane suffered a disqualification loss to Joffie Houlton after throwing an illegal knee to a grounded opponent just 40 seconds into their first-round heavyweight tournament bout. That loss had prevented him from advancing in the tournament bracket, relegating him to alternate status for this event.
Kane trains out of Gym Factory in Casablanca, Morocco, though he represents Senegal. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 265 pounds, the heavyweight has built his reputation as a dangerous finisher. All four of his professional victories have come by stoppage, with three by knockout and one by submission. His previous fastest finish came in his professional debut against Mohamed Juma in February 2024, when he scored a knockout in 85 seconds.
Mukam entered the bout with a 2-0 record, having trained at the Francis Ngannou Foundation in Cameroon. The 24-year-old had scored quick finishes in both of his previous fights earlier in 2025, including a 20-second knockout of Adalbert Mbala in his professional debut and a first-round ground-and-pound stoppage of Utobo Arinze Chukwu. The loss to Kane marked Mukam’s first professional defeat and his PFL debut.
PFL Africa 3 featured semifinal bouts across four weight divisions as part of the promotion’s inaugural African tournament series. The tournament will culminate with the finals in Benin on December 20, where champions will be crowned in the bantamweight, featherweight, welterweight, and heavyweight divisions.
While Kane competed as an alternate and was not part of the tournament bracket, his performance put the heavyweight division on notice. The knockout circulated widely on social media, with the PFL’s official accounts highlighting the finish and generating discussion about whether it could stand as the organization’s fastest knockout in African competition history.
