Abdoul Razac Sankara’s PFL Africa Story

2025 PFL Africa 2 at Big Top Arena – Carnival City in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday August 09, 2025. (Jose Peñuela / PFL)

Supplied/PFL Africa

Abdoul Razac Sankara wasn’t even supposed to be here. Listed only as an alternate for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Africa quarterfinals, he had been training, staying ready, but a spot in the bracket still felt like a distant dream. Then his phone rang and that call would change everything.

“When my coach told me I would fight in the PFL, I didn’t believe it,” he shared with Forbes.com some days after the fight, still laughing as if it was a dream. “I said, ‘No, not now — maybe tomorrow.’ PFL was a dream for me. But when he sent me the contract, that is when I knew it was real.”

The disbelief was understandable. Sankara, a Muay Thai world champion from Côte d’Ivoire with a pair of AML Muay Thai world and national titles, had made his name striking in the ring, not grappling in the cage. MMA was still relatively new to him, he had made his debut in 2023 and had since won two straight fights and six of his last eight. Now he had the chance to step in at one of the sport’s fastest-growing promotions, in a high-stakes quarterfinal matchup, no less.

There was just one catch: this wouldn’t be a fight at his usual weight.
“They told me it would be in featherweight and it was my first time in this division,” he says. “It was very, very difficult for me. But I took it because opportunities like this don’t come every day. Maybe it’s the first time and no second time.”

Adapting for the Opportunity

Sankara’s striking credentials are well known: he’s a decorated Muay Thai fighter who has collected belts and trophies across continents. But MMA is an entirely different challenge, and his opponent wasn’t a straightforward striker.

“I’m a striker, Muay Thai is my home, but my opponent was a karateka and a judoka, so I trained for all of it,” he says. “For me, there was no chance to lose this fight, it was my dream and when a dream comes true, and you are going to lose? No, no, no. No way.”

This mindset: equal parts determination and adaptability, shaped his camp. Even with short notice, Sankara doubled down on the fundamentals: refining his striking angles, drilling takedown defense, and sharpening his reaction time. Every mistake his opponent could make, Sankara wanted to be ready to exploit.

The Walk to the Cage

Fight night was electric. As he left the locker room and stepped into the tunnel, Sankara took in the atmosphere, the roar of the crowd, the blinding lights, the pulsing energy that comes with a PFL event.

“When I saw the crowd, I saw they were all with my opponent,” he recalls. “I said to myself, ‘They don’t know me. Let’s show them who is Sankara.’”

It wasn’t hostility he felt from the stands, just unfamiliarity which was a challenge he embraced. This was his chance to make a statement, to introduce himself to the PFL audience in the most definitive way possible.

“I was excited,” he says. “I like fighting. I wanted to give all the best of myself to make them know that I’m there to be a winner.”

Capitalizing on a Split-Second Opening

Once the cage door shut, the months of Muay Thai precision and weeks of targeted MMA preparation converged.

The round started with Yemba testing him with low kicks and body strikes, while Sankara moved smartly around the outside, landing counters and jabs. As Yemba pressed forward with a high kick, Sankara stayed opportunistic, exploiting openings with precision.

“I’m opportunistic,” Sankara says. “If you make a mistake, I see it and I use it. My opponent kept dropping his hand when I kicked, so I faked low, then went high with the question mark kick. That was it.”

The strike landed flush, and just two minutes into the first round, Yemba was out cold.

“I believed I could win, but not like that,” he reflected. “A knockout in two minutes of the first round? I had no words for that moment.”

With the victory, Abdoul Razac Sankara went from alternate fight participant to PFL Africa Semi–finalist in highlight fashion, a major leap in his professional MMA journey, now holding a record of 7-4-0.

The Call Home

In the chaos after the win, the celebrations, the hand-raising, the backstage interviews, Sankara reached for his phone. The first call went to his mother who could not bare to watch the fights but was constantly praying for his success.

“My mom can’t watch my fights,” he says. “She cries. But she has always believed in me. Even when it was hard, she paid for my training, my transport, everything.”

Her support has been constant, even when she questioned the practicality of and the career that combat sports could offer him in Côte d’Ivoire. “She said, ‘This job is not working in Africa, it’s in Europe. Don’t stay here, you will suffer.’ But I was confident. I believed I could go far in this job because I love it.”

Training as a Way of Life

For Sankara, fighting isn’t just a career but has become his full-time commitment which has become a part of his identity.

“I give everything for the fight,” he says. “I don’t have another job. I train every day, from Monday to Saturday, twice a day. It’s my job, but I don’t even see it like a job. I love it.”

That discipline is part of what keeps him dangerous in the cage. He’s always in shape, always prepared to step in, even as an alternate because the work never stops.

Bigger Than One Win

The quarterfinal victory was more than just personal success. For Sankara, it was a spark for fighters back home.

“If I can do it, they can do it,” he says. “This win gives my country hope. I can see people training harder already, they start to take this job seriously.”

In the days after the fight, his phone was flooded with messages from fans and fellow athletes in Côte d’Ivoire. Social media posts from local fighters showed renewed energy, heavier training sessions, and a growing belief that African athletes can make an impact in major MMA promotions.

The Road Ahead

As much as the win means, Sankara is clear-eyed about what’s next.

“It’s just the beginning,” he says. “Semi-final, then the final, big things are coming.”

From alternate to contender, his PFL journey has already defied expectations. Now, with momentum on his side, Sankara has the chance to prove that lightning can strike twice, and that preparation meets opportunity not by luck, but by design.

“When opportunity knocks again,” he says, “I will be ready. Always.”