What it takes to be an EFC warrior: Meet two local champs fresh off their wins in the Knox Series

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans enjoyed a night of hard-hitting action when Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) returned to Cape Town with the Knox Legacy Series 2026 at GrandWest at the end of February.

EFC president Cairo Howarth said the groundbreaking series delivered unprecedented audience numbers in the Mother City, and attention now turns to Joburg, where EFC is set to host its next event with high-profile bouts aimed at building on that momentum.

Two of the homegrown fighters who held their own at GrandWest and clinched their fights are Terence “Black Panther” Balelo and Faeez “Troublemaker” Jacobs.

Growing up rough on the Cape Flats and moving around a lot taught him to always "have my own back", says Jacobs. 

"I was always the new boy and because of that I got into positions where I authentically had to know myself; it allowed a real knowing that I have my own back... and in a fight when the whole crowd is erupting, that's the stuff that dreams of."

Jacobs retained his EFC bantamweight title with a thrilling TKO victory in the Knox Series against Australia’s Trent Girdham.

He says the fight was one of the toughest of his career, especially considering Girdham's extensive international experience. And there was the "small" matter of defending his title in front of his own people.

"Girdham came to fight me for a world championship - every single exchange felt like we were trying to take on another out. He likes to call his style 'the wild style' but I think I was even a little more wild than he was."

"I've been dominant for so long and I've been making it look easy on the African continent but now getting guys coming in from overseas... Girdham had twice the amount of professional experience, he was supposed to come here to my shores and take my belt. But I could feel he didn't have the heart that I had; I showed him that night what it means to have the heart of a lion."

In his "Fight of the Night", Swellendam-born Balelo faced flyweight Kleberson Sousa from Brazil.

The Brazilian lost his previous fight in South Africa, which meant he was returning with redemption on his mind, Balelo says.

"This guy's coming back with revenge in mind. Losing and not getting a chance to show yourself to the new crowd is different - you're going to come with the mindset of you're going to kill this guy. So, obviously my mindset was, I've got to be locked in because I'm fighting someone that's dangerous and I don't want to lose in front of my people, especially in Cape Town with the EFC coming back."

"I had to go out there and showcase what I'm capable of, and if the game plan didn't work, having to adapt... I told my coaches during the last weeks of training to put me in difficult positions every time. "

The two local fighters emphasize the importance of the mental aspect of EFC, alongside physical prowess.

While some people might profess it's 50/50 or 90/10, the mental game is actually 100% according to Balelo.

"If your mental's not there what is the point of being in a cage, because that person opposite is trying to kill you actually. It's a cruel sport, it's unforgiving but we do have to go out there and  hurt each other."

The fighter highlights his practice of mindfulness:

"For me it's more about meditating, calming myself before the fight. I do yoga in my spare time so that stuff keeps me balanced. And the fighting for me is not just physical or mental - it's deeper than that, it's also spiritual."

To listen to Faeez Jacobs and Terence Balelo in conversation with Sara-Jayne Makwala King on CapeTalk's Weekend Breakfast, click on the audio link below: